At last we come to a team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, that absolutely should not take a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft. While pundits (and morons) are quick to write off Blake Bortles. Bortles spent his first three seasons under the, literal, worst head coach in NFL history; Gus Bradley. And while his numbers in 2016 weren’t as good as 2015, it’s still a solid beginning of an NFL career. Let’s give the kid a chance with Doug Marrone in charge for a year two before we toss him out.
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Round 1, Pick 4: Malik Hooker, Safety, Ohio State
2016: 74 tackles, 5.5 for a loss, four pass defenses, seven interceptions, three defensive touchdowns
Oh man. Unless the Bears take him at No. 3, Hooker will fall right into Jacksonville’s lap to automatically create one of the best defensive backfields in all of football. At one corner they’ll have Jalen Ramsey, last year’s first-round pick. On the other, they’ll have A.J. Bouye, one of the best corners in all of football and this year’s free agent prize. Add Hooker at free safety and move Tashaun Gipson over to strong safety, and that’s a scary group to try and complete a pass against.
Round 2, Pick 35: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
2016: 65 catches, 926 yards, eight touchdowns
After O.J. Howard, Engram is probably the best offensive weapon at tight end in this draft and will immediately make a difference on the field in Jacksonville’s pass offense. Bortles will have Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marquis Lee, Mercedes Lewis and Engram to spread the abel to, in addition to T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory coming out of the backfield. Engram has the potential to be what Julias Thomas was supposed to be for the Jags when they signed him away from the Denver Broncos a few years ago.
Round 3, Pick 68: Chris Wormley, DT, Michigan
2016: 36 tackles, 7.5 for a loss, 5.5 sacks
Sheldon Day will probably officially move into the starting line up for the Jaguars at defensive tackle along with Malik Jackson, but behind those guys there’s a huge drop-off. Wormley solves that problem in a single pick. He can back up both positions and, if pressed, be able to step in as a starter, especially in the second half of the season.
Round 4, Pick 110: Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pittsburgh
Bisnowaty comes from a pro-style offense at Pitt and will hit camp with a good handle on the fundamentals of NFL-level pass and run blocking before his first practice and film session.
Round 5, Pick 148: Corey Clement, RB, Wisconsin
2016: 314 carries, 1,375 yards, 15 touchdowns, 12 catches, 132 yards
Of all the dumb moves Gus Bradley and the old Jags regime pulled, bringing in Chris Ivory on a $5 million-plus a year free agent deal had to be one of the all-time stupidest. The Jaguars will have to eat $7 million in dead cap if they cut Ivory this year, but next year that number drops to an easier to swallow $3 million. Yeldon is (and was before Ivory was signed) a bonafide starter and Clement can bring another power, red-zone back to the mix and a much cheaper replacement for Ivory when the team cuts him next season.
Round 6, Pick 187: Shaquill Griffin, CB, UCF
2016: 49 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, 15 passes defended, four interceptions, one defensive touchdown, one fumble recovery
While the Jags may be set at their starting outside corner, there’s no reason not to shore up their depth and developing a local kid into a 6-1 slot corner could be a deadly addition to a potentially elite secondary.
Round 7, Pick 222: Keionta Davis, DE, Chattanooga
2016: 44 tackles, 11.5 for a loss, 10.5 sacks, seven pass defenses, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery
Davis did exactly what an NFL talent is supposed to do at the Division I-FCS level, he completely dominated his position. At 6-3 and 271 pounds he’s the prototype size for an NFL speed rusher and could pay dividends on passing downs as a rookie.
Round 7, Pick 240: Rodney Adams, WR, South Florida
2016: 67 catches, 822 yards, five touchdowns, 23 carries, 236 yards, five touchdowns
A team with three legit NFL receivers may not, on paper, look like they should be in the market to add another. But Adams brings a special skillset to the Jaguars as a runner and pass-catcher and you usually don’t see guys his size, 6-1 and 190, able to do both so skillfully.
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