Where the Rookies stand

by kterr on Oct 29, 2009 1:08 AM EDT

After 7 weeks of football including a bye week for the Jaguars lets see where the Jaguars rookies stand after 6 games played.

1st Round Pick: - Eugene Monroe (LT)

Games Played: 5
Games Started: 4 (Ranks 5th among Rookie OT's)
Sacks Allowed: 4 (Ranks 1st among Rookie OT's)

Analysis: Overall compared to the other OT's selected in the 1st round Monroe has been middle of the road. Monroe has allowed 4 sacks, while Oher and J. Smith have only allowed 2 sacks apiece (A. Smith has yet to play a game). Monroe has shinned at times but also shown some weakness which is typical of a rookie OT. Oher has easily been the best OT selection so far but J. Smith and E. Monroe have also been effective at times and shown their value. Monroe has 4 starts already to J. Smith's 2 so we may see Monroe grow a lot faster due to the fact that he is getting more time on the field.

2nd Round Pick: Eben Britton (RT)

Games Played: 5
Games Started: 5 (Ranks 4th among Rookie OT's)
Sacks Allowed: 3 (Ranks Tied for 2nd among Rookie OT's)

Analysis: Britton, like Monroe, was thrown into the starting job on Day 1. The combination of Monroe and Britton have allowed 7 sacks between them and they rank 1st and 2nd in sacks allowed, not a catagory we want them to be leading. Britton though, like Monroe, have started most of the Jaguars games this season and have faced some tough DL in there first few games such as Dwight Freeny and Mario Williams. Britton has also started a lot of games and the hope is that like Monroe he will start to gain more and more experience and settle down. Overall though the Jaguars two rookie OT's have allowed more sacks then desirable but there has been improvement.

3rd Round Pick: Terrance Knighton (DT)

Games Played: 6
Total Tackles: 11 (Ranked 30th among Rookies)
Solo: 8 / Assists: 3
Sacks: 0 (Ranked Tied for Last among Rookies)

Analysis: Knighton's statistics are deceiving because his play has been a lot better then his rankings show. Knighton has come in and been able to help the Jaguars defense line play a lot better then most thought they would. Though the Jaguars rank 20th in Rush Defense, everyone who watches Knighton play knows that he has shown great potential and will be a fixture on the line for years to come.

3rd Round Pick: Derek Cox (CB)

Games Played: 6
Games Started: 6
Tackles: 34 (28 / 6) (Ranks 5th among Rookies)
Interceptions: 2 (Ranks Tied 2nd among Rookies)
Fumble Recovery: 1

Analysis: Derek Cox has been under pressure since the moment he was draft. So far my opinion of Cox is that he has shown he has great potential which can be seen by his 2 interceptions and flashes of athleticism but at the same time he is a weakness in our pass defense. The reason for a majority of tackles is due to the fact that he is often tackling receivers who have just caught a pass around him. He has often been exploited by opposing QBs which can been seen in our disastrous Pass Defense rankings. Overall though Cox has shown great potential and hopefully with some more exposure he will be able to fix his problems and become the star CB that we all hope he will be.

4th Round Pick: Mike Thomas (WR)

Receptions: 14 (Ranks 12th among Rookies)
Receiving Yards: 121 (Ranks 15th among Rookies)
Kick Return Yards: 188 (Ranks 8th among Rookies)

Analysis: There is no denying that Mike Thomas has been a spark on offense for the Jaguars. With the emergence of Sims-Walker, Thomas has fallen perfectly into our #3 receiving spot over the last few weeks and is slowly getting more and more comfortable as seen by his receptions and yards which continue to climb each week. Thomas also offers the Jaguars the ability to run reverses which open up the middle for MJD. Overall Thomas' statistics led many to believe that he is an average rookie receiver but since missing the first two games, he has be one of the primary reasons for the great play by the Jaguars receivers over the last few weeks.

5th Round Pick: Jarett Dillard (WR)

Receptions: 3 (Tied for 27th among Rookies)
Receiving Yards: 43 (23rd among Rookies)

Analysis: Jarett Dillard is clearly a ways behind his fellow rookie receiver Thomas. Dillard has rarely played and when he does it is normally with the second team. Dillard still has a lot of upside and hopefully as the season goes along he can find a solid role for himself but with Holt, MSW, and Thomas playing well he is unfortunately on the bench for the time being.

6th Round Pick: Zach Miller (TE)

Receptions: 5 (Tied for 20th among Rookies)
Receiving Yards: 30 (Tied for 28th among Rookies)

Analysis: Like Dillard, Miller seems to be trying to work his way to get more touches. Miller averages only about a reception a game which is not bad considering he was a 6th round pick. Miller is a long term project for sure but from the little we have seen so far he might work out just great for a late round pick.

7th Round Pick: Rashard Jennings

Rushing Attempts: 15 (Ranks 9th among Rookies)
Rushing Yards: 60 (Ranks 8th among Rookies)
Average Yards per Carry: 4.0

Analysis: Jennings, along with Cox, easily had a lot of expectations of him when he entered this season. Though he was only a 7th round pick, many analysts and all of us here at BCC thought he might be one of best 7th round steals ever. Jennings was able to beat out Washington for the #2 RB spot and in the small windows we have seen him (namely the Tennessee and Seahawks games) he has done well for himself. He obviously has a lot of room from improvement but he has a lot of time to grow behind MJD and will hopefully get more touches this season.

Overview

Personally I am overall happy with the most of our rookies so far this season. The fact that we have so many rookies contributing in some form or another is impressive. Obviously we want improvement from all of them for they all have their weaknesses but because they are getting so much exposure so quickly hopefully they will be able to continue to grow and become one of the best draft classes in Jaguars history.

- Kterr

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Comments

You forgot Tiquan Underwood.

by Kbot on Oct 29, 2009 2:25 AM EDT reply actions

Yes he did

As far as the comment about Dillard being clearly a ways behind Thomas, I don’t know that that’s true. Even if Thomas was only shade better, that would probably mean he would see the field much. Especially considering how well everyone else has performed.
I think Zach Miller will be a real true play-maker in the years to come.

by Ewdtrey on Oct 29, 2009 5:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Agree

Wait until Dillard has a chance and his talent will win out.

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by Tkopa on Oct 29, 2009 5:59 AM EDT up reply actions

For once

We have so much talent at WR that Dillard just can’t get a chance to show how good (or bad) he is. If he had been drafted last year, I think he would have started most of the games last season. Now, he can’t get on the field.

Generally spaking, I think this draft class is doing very well indeed. I honestly believe that 2 or 3 years down the road almost every single one of these rookies is going to be a really really good player for this team. Apart from the rookies already starting, I think both Zack Miller and Rashad Jennings have the potential o be explosive offensive weapons. Right now, they are both unpolished “projects”.

by KeithG on Oct 29, 2009 6:29 AM EDT up reply actions

kterr

you rank them the wrong way. Monrow would be last in OT’s with sacks given up, not first.

by harveyismyboy on Oct 29, 2009 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions

The talent

of this draft class is pretty damn amazing. Monroe and Britton have the raw talent, they just need the experience and coaching to become better. I think there has been improvement with them, especially with Britton, who stuffed Mario Williams all game. Cox I think was the best pick this draft, and I think its unfair to say he is the weakness of our pass defense, but he is apart of it. The real weakness is the inconsistent play from our FS and SS, b/c when I watch the games, (i don’t have the numbers) but we are always getting killed with short passes in the middle by a slot WR. As for Thomas, I love the little man, he is the MJD of the WR core. I would like to see more Dillard, b/c that guy has loads of talent, just needs the playing time. As for Underwood, well I think more coaching will improve his play, plus he has stiff competition with the other WR’s. Zack Miller could be the next Kyle Brady, and as for Knighton he is the rock of our D-Line right now. Oh and Jennings will develop into a great one-two punch with MJO

by Messina on Oct 29, 2009 9:48 AM EDT reply actions

The REAL problem with our pass defense is no pass rush

until that gets addressed – God Almighty himself cannot cover NFL WRs indefinately.

by OGN on Oct 29, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Zach Miller

is no Kyle Brady. lol

They are complete opposites on the TE spectrum. Miller is more of the receiving type and Brady was the blocking TE.

Also, the safeties have mostly been in position. The weakness in the secondary is the rookie, as of right now. I soon expect him to surpass Nelson as he gets used to the game. But give credit where credit is due. Nelson has improved dramatically. And I almost always saw Considine in position. He also hasn’t missed a lot of tackles. Really our tackling in general has been dramatically better this year, minus the hiccup in Seattle when Gerald was starting. (Gerald kind of looked like he did in the preseason.)

by Ewdtrey on Oct 30, 2009 5:30 AM EDT up reply actions

I'll give you

the Kyle Brady one, but I was referring to how Miller could be an impact player like Kyle Brady, buts that is all I’ll give you. Nelson is terrible, he has the talent just not the head, he is out of position more than he is in position. Considine has been a disappointment this year, being out played, hell look at the Indy game, he was brutal. With only one rookie on the defensive back field you can’t blame it all on him.

by Messina on Oct 30, 2009 8:14 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm not even close

to blaming it all on him. Just saying he’s the weakest link. I don’t know what you mean in saying that Considine had a horrible game against the Colts. Yeah he dropped a couple should be ints, but at least he defended the passes and he was great against the run, shooting gaps really well.

I know Nelson has gotten a bad rep for being out of position and his head not being in the game, which was very much true last season. But I haven’t seen that from him this season. In week one against the Colts that was Derek that messed up his coverage leading to a big Reggie Wayne TD. Ever since Considine has been here though Nelson seems to be in position more and more. And often times Nelson is locked up in man to man where he has played well as a pseudo/hybrid NB, an assignment/position that doesn’t require as much knowledge of the game.

by Ewdtrey on Oct 30, 2009 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions

The weakest link is Nelson

why don’t you actually watch the games ok. Nelson is the weak link on our defense, and Considine is a B level player no better, and the Indy game was the only game he played ok in and that was a bad game for him. Cox in the Indy game was great for his first game,defending Indy’s best WR.

by Messina on Nov 1, 2009 4:59 PM EST up reply actions

Trust me I watch the games

and I know what I’m talking about. How about you stop listening to what other people are saying and start evaluating him with a clear mind. Nelson played up to par until the Titans game, where he played absolutely horribly.

Considine may be B level talent and maybe even a B level player overall, but he was getting the job done. Cox on the other hand has been a A level talent playing at a C+ level.

And notice you said Cox in the Indy game played great “for his first game”. That’s just it. He’s young and until yesterday he was our weakest link. Still far beyond what you should expect from someone that went to W&M. I also expect him to eventually far surpass everyone else in our secondary other than Rashean Mathis.

by Ewdtrey on Nov 2, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions

I agree in part with

what you said about Cox. He will be an amazing player and will be the next Rashean hopefully, but not the weakest link. I don’t listen to what other people have said about Nelson, I formulate my own opinions. Nelson has not played near the level he should be considering he was a first round pick. Oh and I loved him his first year, but the next seasons his play worsened not improved, and I am not going to say a player is the best just b/c he’s a Jag or a first rounder when he isn’t
We can both go on and on about how we both know what we are talking about etc and arguing on things we basically agree with. I think Cox is one of the best we got, you think Nelson is, and we both think the other is the weakest link. The truth of the matter is like you said Cox is “Still far beyond what you should expect from someone that went to W&M” and he was a 3 rounder. Where Nelson coming out of Florida and a first rounder is far beyond where he should be. You have to admit that he has not played to the level of a first round pick and is a let down for the most part.

by Messina on Nov 2, 2009 4:35 PM EST up reply actions

I was far from saying

that Nelson is our best player. Just that until yesterday Nelson was our 3rd best player in our secondary and not the worst. He wasn’t making as many mistakes as Derek was. As for Nelson being a first rounder, I basically forget what round they are drafted once I see them on the field with my own eyes.

by Ewdtrey on Nov 2, 2009 8:19 PM EST up reply actions