The NFL Draft - On The Clock, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars

Pick: #5

Top Needs:  DE (4-3), CB, FS, LB

Top Targets:  DeForest Buckner, Vernon Hargreaves, Myles Jack, Jaylon Smith, Noah Spence

Off The Board:  

PickTeamPlayer, POSSchoolComments1Tennessee TitansLaremy Tunsil, OTOle MissA shut down corner to protect franchise QB Marcus Mariota. 2Cleveland BrownsJared Goff, QBCaliforniaThe Browns finally find an answer to stop the QB merry go-round of the last 20 years.3San Diego ChargersJalen Ramsey, DBFlorida StateWhether he plays cornerback or safety, the Chargers get one of the best players in the draft.4Dallas CowboysJoey Bosa, DL Ohio StateThe Cowboys shore up their defensive line, and find QB, LB and DB help later in the draft. 5Jacksonville Jaguars ???

The Jaguars have gotten interesting rather quickly, haven't they? While they're all young and need to improve, there's really no glaring position on offense where the Jaguars have true need. Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and T.J. Yeldon are great young prospects, as well as an overpaid but talented Julius Thomas at TE, and Marqise Lee still having some potential. 

The defense, on the other hand, is just ... it needs help everywhere. By the draft, it will be clearer where the team has addressed it's holes most in free agency - the front seven, or the secondary. That may be the deciding factor here...but to me, the biggest hole is pass rusher - and there's never a way to add too many of those. 

At this point, it's about adding elite players and I think there's maybe four of those left on defense -- DeForest Buckner, Myles Jack, Jaylon Smith and Vernon Hargreaves. I could see the team falling in love with either of the linebacker prospects - both Jack and Smith are coming off injuries, Smith much more recently, but both have absolutely monstrous potential. And Hargreaves looks like a potential for a top cornerback, something there's simply not nearly enough of. (I also included Noah Spence above, as he projects as possibly the best pure pass rusher in the draft. But this seems high for him, as he also comes with some off-field issues that led to him leaving Ohio State. Seems a bit risky at #5 overall.)

I think that in reality, however, both the GM David Caldwell, and Head Coach Gus Bradley are starting to feel the heat and might not be willing to wait out on Jaylon Smith's injury, or for Myles Jack to similarly be an impact player right away. As much as they need pass rush help, I think Spence is also not really in play here. I spent a lot of time trying to convince myself that DeForest Bucker is the pick here, even though he projects more to a 3-4 defensive scheme. The Jags have only one pass rusher on the roster, and he (Dante Fowler) has yet to play a snap in the NFL. I do think the team will address this in free agency, but I also think the depth at DL in this draft may cause Caldwell to look for a playmaker at another need position. 

THE PICK: Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida.

Hargreaves was a shutdown corner just down the road from Jacksonville at Florida, and projects as a #1 shutdown corner. He did it against obviously top college competition, and coaches praise not only his physical skills but his competitiveness and determination on the field. The team can focus on the front seven in free agency, and of course later in this draft. They won't find someone with Hargreaves potential in free agency (save for perhaps Sean Smith), and certainly not at the price of a rookie contract. If Hargreaves can have a season like, say, Marcus Peters did this year in Kansas City, that will really help propel the Jags forward to challenging in the tepid AFC South. 

Up next, the Baltimore Ravens ...