It's very easy to see where that toughness comes from.

Raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, N.Y., Jarrett's mother, Audrey, has been a correctional officer at the notorious Rikers Island prison in New York for the past 21 years. On top of that, Audrey was a single mother raising Jaiquawn and his three siblings.

"My mother instilled this toughness in me that you see today," Jarrett said. "She always made sure that she disciplined us. If it wasn't physically, it was mentally. She made sure that if we weren't doing something right, she spoke to us and let us know why it's not right and what we need to correct."

The first player ever to be drafted out of Brooklyn's Fort Hamilton High School, Jarrett played his college football at Temple whose home games are played at the Eagles' home, Lincoln Financial Field. A two-time All-MAC selection at safety, Jarrett was a big part of Temple's rise from NCAA doormat to bowl team. Now with the Eagles, Jarrett will be a part of a foundation that hopes to continue the winning ways under Reid.

"(Former Temple) Coach (Al) Golden brought in a great '07 class and there were very few leaders before I got there and a lot of guys didn't buy into his method and his philosophies," Jarrett said. "So, he had to get rid of a lot of guys who didn't buy into the program and the sooner that he brought in the great guys that wanted to win, the more we won."

It's amazing that Jarrett was a part of the turnaround. With Brooklyn not known as a hotbed of college football talent, Jarrett was the last person offered a scholarship in that Temple class. If he didn't get the scholarship, Jarrett would have enrolled at a prep school in Connecticut. Now, he is the second-round pick of the Eagles.

"I've been playing in Philadelphia for the past four years," said Jarrett, who has played safety since high school. "This is a great coaching staff that Andy Reid has and they love me and I love being here. I can't wait to get out there and practice."