Post Combine Fallout
by Jonathan Loesche on Feb 25, 2009 5:47 PM EST
in 2009 NFL Draft
Email
Print
So the NFL combine is now done, and the talking heads are well underway with who did what. So, how does this bode for the Jaguars?
Who is in the Jaguars' sights now?
Mark Sanchez, QB, USC- He's now gone from a guy who I thought would simply be trade bait to a possible pick at #8. The Jaguars interviewed Sanchez, and everyone seems to love to point out Del Rio went to USC. SI.com reports the Jags have him rated higher than Stafford, and if Emperor Gene deems it so, Jacksonville may be in the midst of another QB controvery.
Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri-Another guy the Jaguars interviewed. Maclin faltered at the 40 this year, but so did fellow speedster Percy Harvin. Considering the horrid 40 times of almost every "Speed" position, I think alot of Scouts will instead go off Pro Day results.
Andre Smith, LT, Alabama- Mr.Smith's antics threw him out of contention for the #1 pick, and I think the Jaguars would be foolish to not consider him with the #8 pick. The question is now, do you brush off his antics at the Combine?
Who's out of the Jaguars sights?
Jason Smith AND Eugene Monroe-It's simple, they both clearly separated themselves. Smith by easily having the best combine, and Monroe by simply staying out of the headlines. They'll both certainly be gone now before the Jaguars pick.
Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio St- Jenkins' poor 40 time clearly hurt his status. Unless he shaves off alot at his Pro Day, he'll be passed on by the Jags.
Rey Maualuga, LB, USC- One of the most disappointing players at the Senior Bowl had an encore performance that sent him out of the Top 10.
So what do you guys think BCC? Who do you think the Jaguars should now target?
-
28 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I'll wait until I hear back from the pro-day workouts, but
Based on what I saw from the combine, the three mentioned in the article, as well a Raji are most likely at the top of Gene’s board. There are a couple dark horses in there as well. Best case scenario, someone really wants Stafford or Sanchez at our spot and we can trade out. It’s a cluster"blank" though. That’s for sure.
jenkins
i’m still on board for him. while CB speed is VERY important, i think that everyone is know considering that the track was very slow. as noted above, maclin and harvin are MUCH faster than 4.4. with that in consideration, scouts have noted that jenkins looked fantastic in the position drills. he has great instincts, fluid hips, and a great backpedal. we’ll see what happens at his pro day, but i anticipate that he will slowly move back up, and would be considered a great pick at #8.
Jenkins would be foolish to take with #8
That’s not enough value for that pick. If Jenkins gets picked by the Jaguars it better be after a trade.
I'm confident one of the good prospects
will have a surprising fall to #8 just like what seems to happen every year. If not then hopefully they can trade down.
I’m not sold that both Smith and Monroe will be gone by the eighth pick. It’s certainly possible but I’m not ruling out either of them. If push comes to shove and none make a serious candidate I might go back to the best player from the Senior Bowl and a guy that had a more than solid Combine, Brian Cushing. It would be a little high for him but honestly the whole crop of “top” players has been disappointing he’s the only one that’s played like a premiere prospect.
Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Fred Taylor. Sounds about right.
Jason Smith and Monroe
They will probably be gone by the time the Jags are on the board. Detroit may be looking for a tackle, and will probably take one of the two. And it has been known for while now that St. Louis is looking to really beef up their offensive line, and what better position to start at then left tackle. I think Andre Smith will still be there at 8, and the Jags should take him or trade out. He should very well be the BAP, and while what he did at the combine shows some immaturity, it really was just a misunderstanding of him not knowing he had to tell officials that he was leaving. Andre Smith, BAP.
Detroit could draft a taking but I’m not so sure. New OC Scott Linehan said after watching game tape that Jeff Backus played pretty well. That could be smoke but who knows? Remember Detroit is picking with the 20th and 33rd picks and might want to get a Beatty or Britton in the late first or early second if they can grab a signal caller early in the first round.
As for St. Louis you know I’ll admit the rest of the offensive line is horrible but I don’t think Pace is the one giving up a lot of the sacks? I can’t find the numbers but if someone could I’d bet most of the sacks are from the right side or up the middle. Pace may be older and have had some injuries but I think he’s a sound football player at 34.
Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Fred Taylor. Sounds about right.
Probably Not
The sacks might not be coming from the left, but I believe Orlando Pace is the oldest offensive lineman and he is in the twilight of his career. Left Tackle is the best place to start when you are rebuilding your line, and I can’t imagine The Rams wasting such a high pick on another position. And between the Jags and the Rams are also Kansas City, who will take a quarterback or an offensive lineman, and Cincinnati is looking to beef up their offensive line as well. And another potential taker of an offensive lineman is Cleveland. Come to think of it, The Jags will be lucky if Andre Smith falls to them. All I can hope is that some teams are scared away by his incident at the Combine.
I’ve played that out too and another potential scenario with the Rams is QB. What if Smith or Monroe is taken number one. Can St. Louis pass on Stafford? Bulger hasn’t been as good or as durable as years past.
KC is the weirdest team to project. I just have a feeling Brian Orakpo might be their guy. Not sure KC is playing a 4-3 or 3-4 but I believe with Pioli’s time in NE and the addition of Pendergast that a 3-4 is likely and Orakpo would fit nicely there.
Cinci needs more linemen yea but I think Raji might be their guy. Marvin Lewis coached him at the Senior Bowl and he just dominated. I also think running back might be an option although it might be high for Moreno or Wells but they need a RB. Lets not forget T.J. is gone and Johnson isn’t getting better and only older by the day. Crabtree?
Cleveland needs pass rushers. They’ve got a good line.
Just saying…
Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Fred Taylor. Sounds about right.
All the top ten is hard to project
I don’t think any team should take Stafford top 5. Sorry but he just not good enough to be taken that high. But I am also not making decisions for St. Louis, and you are right about how they could get lulled in by Stafford’s arm strength.
Sorry about Cleveland, I don’t know what I was thinking, they have a great left tackle already in Joe Thomas. What I meant to write was Oakland. While Al Davis has a reputation on taking playmakers at the skill positions, it’s possible for Oakland to start rebuilding up front, as they are really trying to make it to .500 next year.
interesting. jville
Cushing seems like a great kid and had excellent numbers (they showed his journey to the combine several times on NFL Network and he’s a very DETERMINED worker) but I just don’t know about his skill set. He’s come from mid 2nd to top fifteen?
by harveyismyboy on Feb 25, 2009 7:49 PM EST up reply actions
Cushing
I’ve never seen him rated as anything other than having a first round grade so I’m not sure where you’re getting this “mid 2nd” thing from. Secondly, if it was Cushing I’d admit and did say it would be a little high for him. I do think however he is the best of the USC linebackers this year and offers a playmaker at a position where the Jags haven’t had one since the early years of Mike Peterson.
As for Andre Smith if he has a great pro day and can explain what happened at the Combine to the satisfaction of the scouts I’d feel safe enough with selecting him with the eighth pick. Worst comes to worst he might make a pro bowl caliber guard.
Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Fred Taylor. Sounds about right.
I like Cushing too
But he is not a top ten pick. Mid to late first is possible for him though. He is the best playmaker of the USC linebacker though. Maulaluga can hit, but he is poor in space and really is not that great in coverage. Cushing can do it all, cover, biltz, and he can hit as well.
If we trade down to around 15, or maybe a little farther back, Cushing could very well be the BAP, and I would be thrilled if we got him. I really like his attitude, and his story of just being a hard worker who knows what he wants, and what he has to do to get there.
Not to sound too much like Vic
but is Andre Smith really an “elite” option at number 8? Or do we trade down to a mid-level pick, and pick up Michael Crabtree and another draft pick?
I don't think Andre Smith has to be taken at #8
The trade down to a mid-level pick would have a better shot of getting Andre Smith than Michael Crabtree. Crab will probably be gone before the #8 pick even comes along.
by Adam Stites on Feb 26, 2009 12:40 AM EST up reply actions
2 things about what you just said
1. He said “my instinct tells me he’ll be available for the 8th pick.” That’s still very far from the middle of the round and it sure wasn’t a guarantee.
2. I love Vic’s writings and I read his column everyday, but he’s not a messiah. He had Vernon Gholston as the #1 prospect in the draft last year and he had the most disappointing season from a 1st round pick in the whole league this season.
Look
You’re stretching a lot in suggesting that I take Vic’s word as scripture. Granted, it’s more informed than most of ours, and I appreciate it for that. If you read “Ask Vic”, you’ll see that he insinuates towards the possibility of Crabtree’s availability at the end of the draft’s first 14-15. It may or may not happen, but I find the possibility interesting. I’m as clairvoyant as you—or Vic, for that matter—are. I’m only raising the prospect for discussion.
He may have been wrong about Gholston...
But he was dead on about Adrian Peterson two years ago. This is exactly what Vic is talking about. This is a crystal ball business, and you never really know until you really know.
I know this may sound crazy,
but the more I watch Darius Butler the more I think he can be our 8th overall pick. He’s got speed, feet, hips, and hands. Jenkins and Davis are both missing at least one of those ingrediants. JDR and Gene Smith also got to see Butler at the Senior bowl.
The more I think about it
the more I like us taking a QB at number 8. At first, I thought of of the QB’s as just bait for us to trade down with, but lets think about this for a minute. We only really have David Garrard as our QB on our team. If we get a QB like Staford or Sanchez, he can develop and be ready to take over this team once Garrard is done her. I know Garrard has 5 years left on his contract, but if we can get a QB now, develop him, and for him to learn the Jags system, he will be ready to go by the time David is done. I don’t like the idea of having our 1st round draft pick to seat on the bench for a couple of years, but it’s just something to think about.
When you take a QB in the Top 10
Then he is THE guy. Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers are the exceptions to the rule. And we have a 60 million dollar man already under center.
"I smoke. If this bothers anyone, I suggest you look around at the world in which we live and shut your mouth."-Bill Hicks
by Jonathan Loesche on Feb 26, 2009 8:05 PM EST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- The Shutdown Corner Interview: New York Giants DL Justin Tuck
- AFL quarterback misses game to attend wedding
- Report: Tebow sends cease and desist letter to maker of Jesus-y Jets T-shirts
- Joe McKnight says too much McDonald’s helped him gain 16 pounds in offseason
- Nick Mangold says goodbye to some chest hair on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’
