Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

East West Shrine Game

Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl Game

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

East West Shrine Game

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

A

2009 COLLEGE DRAFT REPORT CARD

by Jay Goldberg

The Jaguars had a great draft.  I love the three receivers they drafted.  They can all catch and they can all sky to make tough catches (just look at their vertical jumps).  There were only two spots where I would have selected a different player, but the Jags ended up with a good player at those spots as well.  However, if Jacksonville picked my two guys, they would have received the elusive A+ grade from me!  As far as college street free agents go, the Jaguars added players who will compete in camp and who will give them good depth early in the Preseason, but none jump out at me as steals.

DRAFT PICKS

Jacksonville secured its left tackle of the future (and present?) in round one in Monroe.  They can thank the Bengals for selecting Andre Smith over him at #6 allowing them to secure my #2 ranked tackle in the draft.  Monroe will be a long term, high quality starter in the league.

The Jaguars continued to rebuild its offensive line in round two by selecting Britton.  Many draft analysts had a first round grade on this kid.  I did not.  I had a second round grade making this a solid selection, but not the steal others will have it graded.  The tackle I liked more than Britton at this spot was William Beatty.  Beatty is more athletic and has a higher upside.  In fact, I had Beatty rated right behind Monroe ahead of Andre Smith as my #3 tackle in the draft.

While I had a minor issue with Jacksonville taking Britton over Beatty, I had a bigger issue with them drafting Knighton over Roy Miller.  Now, I understand the appeal of Knighton.  He is fast for a big man, he is quick for a big man, and he has the long arms that teams look for in defensive tackles.  However, Miller who also has good speed, plays with a very high motor and is strong as an ox.  Knighton is the quicker, slashing defensive tackle and will need time to develop.  In fact some teams were looking at him as an end in the 3-4 defense.  Miller is a run-stuffer, who is also goo in pursuit, and is NFL-ready.  In my opinion a run-stuffing defensive tackle is what the Jaguars need, so Miller is not only more highly rated on my board, but a better fit.  But who knows, place Knighton on a rigid weight training program, and maybe he could develop into a run-stuffer as well.  He certainly has the base tools to be a good NFL starter.

From this point forward I cannot find fault with any of the Jaguars picks.  In fact, five of their next six players drafted were on my list of players who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than them (all except Jennings).  The first player on my "list" was Cox.  When you can bring in a cornerback who is over 6'0", runs a 4.39 forty and is an explosive athlete (11'8" broad jump!), you do it.  Especially when the kid is more than just an athlete.  He was second team All Conference at cornerback.  In addition, he is the first of many brought in who will give Witherspoon a run for his money as a returner.  I had a fifth round grade on Cox, but I like the kid's potential and cannot find fault with Jacksonville grabbing him in round three.

Mike Thomas was the player who caught my eye more than any other player in the post-season.  He is a terrific receiver and a good return man.  The only knock on him is his height.  At a shade under 5'8" he is very short for a NFL receiver.  However, he has a 40.5" vertical, has top-end speed and athleticism, makes quick, sharp cuts, has great hands, and has the strength to beat the jam at the line.  I look at him as a more athletic and faster Wes Welker.

Dillard is more than 2 inches taller than Thomas which still makes him a bit undersized as a receiver.  However, he jumps even higher than Thomas (42.5" vertical).  He also may have the best feel for the passing game and the best hands of all the receivers in the draft.  While he lacks explosive speed and quickness, he is the type of receiver quarterbacks look for to convert on third down.

 Zach Miller is an interesting prospect.  Up until the post-season he was a successful small-school running quarterback.  Then in a Division II All Star Game he played tight end for the first time.  He had 5 catches for 116 yards.  Later, his on-campus workout was one of the most impressive workouts for any tight end in the draft.  Miller will need time to develop further (with Lewis on hand he has the time), but could be an interesting and unique wildcat.  If he is in the game he could be there as a second tight end or wildcat.  That would disguise that formation beyond any other team in the NFL.

I do not understand why Jennings fell this far in the draft.  I heard it was because he is a big back who doesn't run strong, but he looked like a strong runner during the post-season and he lifted the bar 29 times.  This kid will be a steal fro Jacksonville.  He is the perfect compliment for Jones-Drew.

Underwood is the third receiver drafted by Jacksonville and is a steal in round seven. If you went back two years he was more productive and looked like a better NFL prospect than teammate Kenny Britt.  Underwood can fly and is terrific athlete.  And unlike many of the other 6'0" slender "greyhound-like receivers (e.g. Troy Williamson), he has more than just straight-line speed.  He is quick and makes sharp cuts.  Underwood does need work in the weight room to ensure he can take the pounding he will get on a regular basis in the NFL.

 COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Outside of Tim Shaw, there are no young backup linebackers that intrigue me on the Jaguars roster.  That gives Russell Allen a chance.  He will have to prove himself on special teams to stick, but the development squad is a more realistic goal.

Boeckman is a big kid with an NFL arm whose main weakness is his lack of mobility.  However, his workout showed better speed and quickness than he showed on film.  He is certainly worth a look in camp and could challenge Paul Smith for the #3 quarterback spot (with the loser of the competition ending up on the development squad).

Bolen is a fullback who can also be effective as a short-yardage and goal line runner.  However, with Greg Jones already in that role Bolen faces long odds to make the team.

Forrester is the best college street free agent signed by Jacksonville.  He has good strength, speed and quickness.  He will be a good special teams player and, has an outside chance to see time at strong safety at some point during the season as well.

Hypolite is a strong kid who could develop into a rotation player at defensive tackle at some point in the future.  Look for Hypolite to be signed to the Jaguars development squad.

Navarre is another strong kid.  He showed some pass rush skills at Maryland as well and at 285 pounds is a sleeper to find a role with Jacksonville as a backup defensive end.

Newton could have gone in round six of the draft and I wouldn't have batted an eye.  He has a shot to stick as a backup inside offensive lineman.

Williams is another linebacker who will be fighting for a backup/special teams role with Jacksonville.  He will have to outplay fellow college street free agent Allen to have a shot at even a development squad spot. 

Many will question the Jags giving up lots of goodies to move up to grab Harvey.  I will not.  He is a needed piece to their puzzle and they are a team that will be in the Super Bowl hunt.  Where I do question their draft is in round five where big defensive tackle Ahytba Rubin was available and would have provided them with a big run-stuffer to rotate in with Henderson.  I know they like Meier and Landri, but both are on the light side for defensive tackles.  The Jags also signed some quality college street free agents.

DRAFT PICKS

Harvey should beat out Spicer sooner rather than later and become a quality starter who holds his own against the run while getting between 8 and 12 sacks a year.  He is a good addition to their team.

Groves is a terrific athlete with speed and pass rushing abilities.  I thought he would go to a team that plays a 3-4 and move to outside linebacker.  For the Jags he should become a vital part of their nickel defense.  I can see the Jags moving Harvey inside in the nickel to play a Justin-Tuck-role with Groves replacing him at end.

Thomas Williams is a player whose upside is as a versatile backup and quality special teams player.  He played inside and outside at USC.

Trae Williams is an undersized corner who displayed good man to man skills at South Florida, but may have trouble maintaining those skills against NFL wideouts.

Washington was an excellent pick in round six.  I noted that it may have been time for the Jags to draft a strong runner to pair with Jones-Drew down the line after Taylor retires.  Washington is a tough, strong inside runner with good but little wiggle.  He could fit nicely in a year or two as the change-of-pace power back to spell Jones-Drew.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Bishop is a heady player with good hands and is an above average blocker.  He is limited athletically and will not stretch the field but has potential as a #3 tight end who can block and catch short passes off blocking formations.

I like Gardner's potential more than Trae Williams' potential.  Gardner was known as a physical player and was thought to be limited physically.  Then he put together an eye-opening workout.  Apparently he has good speed and quickness and is a tremendous athlete.  Add to that he tied for eighth in the ACC and 79th in the nation in passes defended and the Jags just may have a free agent steal.

Smith is an undersized quarterback with good mobility, good smarts, and good accuracy.  He is the type of player that keeps hanging around and when given a chance performs better than expected.

Witherspoon is extremely fast and a top athlete.  He has mad return skills and should be fun to watch in early preseason.  To help on defense he will have to hit the weight room, he does have good ball skills in the secondary.  He is an intriguing player.