2011 NFL Draft: Undrafted Free Agents Jaguars Could Target
by Alfie Crow on May 1, 2011 4:30 PM EDT
in 2011 NFL Draft
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PrintUnlike after most drafts, Sunday is filled with reports of undrafted free agents signing with various teams and all of us trying to peg which one is the "sleeper" undrafted guy. This year unfortunately, because a temporary stay of the lockout was granted, free agents are sitting around just waiting. It stinks for two reasons. First it stinks because of all of these guys work their tail off knowing they're likely going undrafted and they can't get rewarded for all that hard work just yet. Secondly, it's typically a huge traffic day... but that's a selfish reason.
Anyways, who are some undrafted free agents the Jaguars could target?
Here's a list of guys I could see the Jacksonville Jaguars targeting once free agency goes live, and UDFA's are allowed to sign.
OFFENSE:
Lester Jean, WR, FAU - While the Jaguars drafted Cecil Shorts III, they still don't really have that "possession" wide receiver. Jean is a bit raw, but fits that mold.
Terrance Toliver, WR, LSU - Like Jean, he's also a bigger bodied wide receiver the Jaguars need to add to their group. I was surprised he didn't get his name called on Saturday.
David Mims, OT, Mount Union - Mims is a gigantic man playing offensive tackle. He needs some refinement, but he's got all the tools to eventually become a dominant starting right tackle in the NFL.
Tyler Beiler, WR, Bridgewater - Beiler is an ultra productive receiver out of Division III just like Cecil Shorts. He'd add competition to a group that's still somewhat of a question mark.
Adam Froman, QB, Louisville - I was surprised Froman didn't get drafted, but he's a nice guy to bring into camp to try to stash as a developmental quarterback. He's athletic and has a ton of tools to work with.
DEFENSE:
Ryan Jones, DB, NWMSU - Jones is an athletic versatile defensive back that the Jaguars showed interest in. He can play corner, nickel, and potentially safety.
Keith Darbut, DE/LB, Baldwin-Wallace - Darbut is an extremely productive and explosive pass rusher who's drawn comparisons to Jason Taylor.
Nick Bellore, LB, CMU - Bellore is an inside backer "thumper", and the Jaguars have some gaping holes at the linebacker position.
Brian Duncan, LB, Texas Tech - Duncan is a versatile linebacker who's played inside, outside, and as a defensive end. His best fit is probably to a 3-4 teams, but he's a guy who can play all over the place and should contribute on special teams.
Mario Harvey, LB, Marshall - I was shocked Harvey wasn't draft for his sheer athleticism. He's a physical freak who was insanely productive at Marshall. He's definitely worth a look on a team who's hurting for linebackers.
Mana Silva, S, Hawaii - Silva was a very productive safety in Hawaii and came in for a late visit for the Jaguars two weeks ago. Safety like linebacker is an area of concern for the Jaguars.
One name I'm sure everyone will see missing is Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich. I hate to be that guy, but he wasn't drafted for a reason. Teams don't feel like he's ready to play. While his story is remarkable, it's highly unlikely he'll make it in the NFL. He's just not there yet, physically. It was obvious watching Senior Bowl practices that he didn't belong there. He was flat out terrible. I hope a team gives him a chance, as it would be wonderful PR, I just don't think it will work out.
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Herzlich
can maybe sit on a practice squad for a year, maybe he needs another year, of working hard, and getting in shape, and getting away from the chemo, he may be good. But then somebody else may take him.
"Don't go away Mad, Just go away."
What's the obsession with this guy?
Feel good story, not a great player people are making him out to be. He’s just okay.
You obviously have no clue about the player Herzlich was before cancer.
I don’t miss BC games, and I saw almost every game he played. Saying he’s “okay” is idiocy. In 2008 he was a First-team All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Butkus Award, and a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy. He led the team with 110 tackles and 81 stops, six interceptions, eight pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries and also had 13 tackles for a loss. In November of 2008, he was ranked as the 45th best prospect for the 2009 Draft but went back to BC.
I have NO doubt he will be back to being a serious player. However, even is never back to where he was as a beast, he will do what he has to to make the team, and I promise you – you will never have a better guy in any locker room. Ever.
Fidelis Ad Mortem
He was very good before the cancer
I don’t think it was just the chemo that hurt him. His leg had some serious damage as a result of the cancer itself.
herzlich will definitely need time wherever he goes
but one thing is for sure, he has persevered through something most of us will never experience. He is determined and thats one thing you cant rule out, not to mention he has the athleticism. If we dont sign him then its not the end of the world, but i think it would be a great move by Gene. He would push everyone in the locker room even harder. Anyways, i like terrance toliver and the mount union O lineman. I disagree about Froman. The only reason why Louisvilles offense was even somewhat decent is because they had bilal powell back there.
Burney from UNC the corner, Mike Mayock had a boner over him all through training camp etc, and he went undrafted..lets give him a shot
ps..ALFIE, tell the jungle to accept my registration to the forum.
Keith Darbut
is the only one on your list that I would really wanna sign personally. Something tells me that one of the other guys could be signed because they were on the watch list.
Here's the deal
With Herzlich, he might not be ready to play right now, but there is undeniable talent, and frankly I think when he is ready to play, his talent level matches 3rd round fraft pick talent. to stahs him away for some time is simply worth it to get a guy like this.
As for the rest, at QB a guy I personally would like to see in Jacksonville is the guy COughlin from Boise St. I know he sat behind Kellen Moore but he seems to be a guy who can transition solidly to the pro-level.
IDK much about the S from Hawaii but he sounds Samoan and I love me my Samoan football players. Now I won’t go so far as to say if he is Samoan he is the next polamalu, but the jaguars need relentless safeties, and that is what a Samoan is going to be!
As for Bellore and Harvey, I definitely agree they are ideal candidiates to bring in.
My final remark is that perosnally I like Binns out of Cincy as a potential UDFA WR. He is big and I have seen him play quite well. I think he is a legit option as a future starting NFL WR.
i would also love to get fredrico lockette
SCALP'EM
Jesus is Lord!
by Thunder64 on May 1, 2011 5:11 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
still would try to get him
If i were him I would look for a team that needs a starter. I think he has a legit chance at becoming a starter in the NFL. Maybe look at Arizona or something
AZ
is a good place to look. Having said that, I’m not a bit surprised to see him undrafted. Honestly of these guys I’m only surprised Tolliver wasn’t drafted(I’m sure there is a reason that I’m just not aware of like off the field stuff).
I don’t know enough about Ryan Jones.
I wonder, and this sounds silly, how much of this new scrutiny of Flacco impacted Devlin
Seems like he was one of the top 5 qbs in January.
Harvey would be a great pickup.
Twitter: BLByline Youtube: BLByline
I'm willing to drink the Kool-ade, but I'm hungry for the truth.
The negatives are that he's not very instinctive.
his performance in the game was extremely underwhelming, but we’re in need of LBs and honestly it can’t really hurt.
Twitter: BLByline Youtube: BLByline
I'm willing to drink the Kool-ade, but I'm hungry for the truth.
by Brian Levenson on May 1, 2011 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions
IMO
it only hurts him and it gets in the way of other good players from trying to make the team. I think people are forgetting players we already have that will probably be better than a lot of these FA’s: Kyle Bosworth and Jacob Cutrera at LB for instance or……. Terrell Whitehead, Michael Hamlin, and maybe even William Middleton(He could make the move to S especially now that Rod Issac is on the team) at Safety.
We are very thin at WR, but I don’t doubt our ability to find some guys in FA and even more so in UDFA.
there were also apparenty reasons these guy weren't drafted
Wes Welker
Antonio Pierce
Adewale Ogunleye
Bart Scott
Pat Williams
Jeff Saturday
Willie Parker
I think my point has been made. You can find good ball players undrafted
by Jagsrok9008 on May 1, 2011 5:51 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
How many of those guys had to go through rare bone cancer, miss an entire season of football while goin through chemotherapy… Which ravages the body?
None of them?
What exactly was your point again?
by Alfie Crow on May 1, 2011 6:33 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The point is Herzlich was told he would NEVER play football again.
His numbers dropped of from where they were in 2008, but if a young man can:
“go through rare bone cancer, miss an entire season of football while goin through chemotherapy… Which ravages the body?” as you point out, then I would give him a chance to prove people wrong. Again.
He comes to camp and if he can’t handle it, what’s the harm? I see zero downside.
Fidelis Ad Mortem
Waste of a roster spot. Remove your fanhood and emotion from it.
He’s flat out not that good right now and the likelyhood he returns to his prior form is exponentially low.
by Alfie Crow on May 1, 2011 7:06 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
I disagree with "waste of a roster spot".
But, thankfully, you don’t make those type of decisions for the team, except in cyberspace. So, I will hope someone who actually has input to thye team shares my view and not yours.
Fidelis Ad Mortem
You’re obviously emotionally invested being an unabashed BC and Herzlich fan.
Calm down.
by Alfie Crow on May 1, 2011 9:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Very true.
And I bet if we do get him into camp, and you see him every day, you will become a big fan as well.
All I’m saying is I hope we bring him in.
Fidelis Ad Mortem
he doesnt even have to return to his prior form. he was a top ten pick
i would easily be happy with 3rd round production from him. our LBs suck anyways so putting him on the practice squad is a low risk high reward move.
Also, last year - Herz's first post-cancer season...
in 13 games (or 3 less than the Jaguars played) He had:
- more interceptions than ALL Jaguar LBs combined. Herzlich had 4 INTs, and the Jags’ LBs had 2 (Smith and Considine had 1 each)
- more tackles than every Jaguar LB except Smith
- more forced fumbles than all Jaguar LBs (Herzlich had 2, Smith and Considine had 1 each)
That was less than a year removed from chemo. The kid can play, and he is getting stronger everyday. Not inviting him to camp to give him an opportunity to prove himself seems to me to be silly.
Fidelis Ad Mortem
also,
someone’s going to invite him to camp. I don’t think it will be the Jags however. He’s going to be taking some big time punishment in camp.
would love to see it
he has what you can’t coach – heart
by Joe Fisher on May 1, 2011 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thats a shame...
because he is a warrior, a leader, and the type of guy more teams need in the league. Again, we bring what…80 guys to camp and need LBs? What is the Harm
Fidelis Ad Mortem
Understood...
just saying, he had a job to do as a LB in college, and he did pretty well – especially since he was less than a year removed from chemo. 4 INTs, 60 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles is pretty spectacular for a guy they told would never even play intramural football again less than 2 years before that.
Fidelis Ad Mortem
this was used for a different point about the stupidity to say all UDFA aren't worth it since there was a reason they were not drafted
But, to answer you, Mark Herzlich is a player who has a lot of talent and was a VERY GOOD linebacker before cancer. There is little reason in my opinion to think he cannot within a year or two return to just about 100% of his pre-cancer self. It is a lot to expect, but the truth is that if he is 2/3 of what he was, he definitely would be able to contribute to a professional football team and is worth giving a look.
There wasn’t a single person who said all UDFA aren’t worth.
Obviously however, teams were concerned enough to pass on him, completely. There’s major medical concerns that he’ll never recover. Go watch the Senior Bowl again, he was clearly no where near the rest of the linebackers there.
by Alfie Crow on May 1, 2011 9:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I would also like to point out, in a friendly - not accusatory way,
that when I was repeatedly criticizing Kaepernick you said it was becoming obnoxious. I get it, you think he isn’t worth the invite. I, and a few others, disagree.
Fidelis Ad Mortem
by JPQ! on May 1, 2011 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think it is absurd to think he would be at a very high level already. he is only about a year and a half removed from cancer and the excrutating process of fighting it
I believe with full sincerity that Mark Herzlich will continue to “come bac” and will become a player that a team will be very glad that they signed and allowed to come back and revert back to his 2008 self even if it means having him on the practice squad for 2 staight years.
As for the Jaguars, it is not like there are sch great LBs on the team right now that a PS spot would hurt us
we're just not in a position where we can wait 2 or more for a guy to come back to his college best and hopes it can translate to NFL success
wish we were. A team like Pittsburgh who seems to just recycle linebackers would be a perfect fit. Obviously, to me anyway, teams made the determination that he is just not in NFL football shape right now, otherwise, I think he’d have been snagged in the 4th or 5th.
Who are we actually comparing him too?
Who has recovered from cancer to have a nice NFL career? Also he has a titanium rod in his leg, that might play a bigger part in his slide then anyone thinks.
by jstnblke41 on May 1, 2011 11:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
No Deunta Williams??
Just a high school student who lives his ambitions of working for the NFL,
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Took the words
Out of my mouth with Froman. He has the tools to be one of the best backups in the league down the road. Would be awesome to keep him around for 5-7 years and then trade him. I really like his developmental potential.
Maybe its just because I’m an Auburn fan, but I’d love to see us give Darvin Adams a shot. Made a ton of plays these past couple years.
Doesn’t look like we have a ton of room in a crowded backfield, but I’m surprised at Derrick Locke going un-drafted. He is short, but has a solid build and is quick and sneaky fast.
If hip hop is dead, then it happened the day that Dilla died.
-Akrobatik
What?
The Cardinals went 7-5 in what was considered a rebuilding year in the third toughest conference in the country.
You do realize I’m speaking of him as a player who has tools to develop(arm strength and athleticism) and become a solid backup/trade piece. Didn’t realize your idea of a solid backup was a national championship winner from the SEC.
If hip hop is dead, then it happened the day that Dilla died.
-Akrobatik
Correction needed
David Mims plays for Div II Virginia Union, not perennial Div III powerhouse Mount Union.
"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England
Mario Harvey runs the 40 in 4.4 seconds,is strong as an ox, and had great production while receiving poor coaching at Marshall under Mark Snyder. He had three different defensive co’s while at MU. If someone takes him in with idea to groom him beyond being a psecial teams contributor, they will end up with a Sam Mills type LB.
by Catfanatic1979v1 on May 1, 2011 10:58 PM EDT reply actions
Jeff Maehl
Can’t believe he wasn’t drafted at all. The guy’s got great hands, is a great blocker for a WR, and is great on special teams. Does the little things to help a team be successful.
Orlando Magic. Oregon Ducks. Seattle Mariners. Jacksonville Jaguars.
andrew rich
He was a really good safety at byu. Production was always there. He didn’t run a fast forty but be is faster in pads. He could end up as a good hard hitting safety in the nfl
Dammit just go out there and play to win and I'll be here to cheer!!!!
by Vegasjags on May 2, 2011 12:27 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Draft Insiders top players
Plenty of good players left. With our small draft class and obvious needs at LB and S. I think we’d be pretty attractive to a lot of these guys who think they could crack our roster.
I’ve bolded the ones I’m particularly interested in.
Jeron Johnson S Boise State
Joseph Lefeged S Rutgers
Brandon Bair DE Oregon
Schuylar Oordt TE Northern Iowa
Tim Barnes C Missouri
Derrick Locke RB Kentucky
Ian Williams DT Notre Dame
Darvin Adams WR Auburn
Zach Hurd G Connecticut
Kendric Burney CB North Carolina
Adrian Moten OLB Maryland
Mario Fannin RB/FB Auburn
Terrance Toliver WR LSU
DeAndre McDaniel S Clemson
Dane Sanzenbacher WR Ohio State
Owen Spencer WR North Carolina State
Armon Binns WR Cincinnati
Darrin Walls CB Notre Dame
Jarriel King T South Carolina
Ray Dominguez G Arkansas
Scott Lutrus OLB Connecticut
Cedric Thornton DT Southern Arkansas
Kevin Rutland CB Missouri
Ricardo Lockette WR Fort Valley State
Devon Torrence CB Ohio State
Pierre Allen DE Nebraska
OJ Murdock WR Fort Hays State
Eric Gordon OLB Michigan State
Jerrard Tarrant S Georgia Tech
Mike McNeill TE Nebraska
Martin Parker DT Richmond
Sealver Siliga DT Utah
Josh Jasper PK LSU
Nate Williams S Washington
Darren Evans RB Virginia Tech
Greg Smith TE Texas
Noel Devine RB West Virginia
Jake Kirkpatrick C TCU
Andrew McGee CB Oklahoma State
Orie Lemon ILB Oklahoma State
Richard Henry G Nebraska
Jerrod Johnson QB Texas A&M
Quentin Davie OLB Northwestern
Ladi Ajiboye DT South Carolina
Ugo Chinasa DE Oklahoma State
Colin Baxter C Arizona
Vai Taua RB Nevada
Kentrell Lockett DE Mississippi
Willie Smith T East Carolina
Carl Gettis CB Missouri
Charlie Gantt TE Michigan State
Mark Herzlich ILB Boston College
Jock Sanders WR West Virginia
Ryan Bartholomew C Syracuse
Justin Trattou DE Florida
Kai Forbath PK UCLA
Zach Pianalto TE North Carolina
Patrick Devlin QB Delaware
Jeremiha Hunter OLB Iowa
Blaine Sumner DT Colorado Mines
Joseph Morgan WR Walsh
David Mims T Virginia Union
Nick Bellore ILB Central Michigan
Tori Gurley WR South Carolina
Martell Webb TE Michigan
Carl Johnson G Florida
Alex Linnenkohl C Oregon State
David Sims S Iowa State
Colby Whitlock DT Texas Tech
Derrell Smith ILB Syracuse
Matt Bosher P Miami-Fl
Mario Butler CB Georgia Tech
Brian Lainhart S Kent State
Matthias Berning OLB Central Michigan
Mike Coughlin QB Boise State
Michael Smith T Nebraska
Brandon Saine RB Ohio State
Garrett Chisolm G South Carolina
Ryan Winterswyk DE Boise State
Darryl Smith OLB Appalachian State
Adam Grant T Arizona
Shaun Draughn RB North Carolina
Vance Cuff CB Georgia
Justin Boren C Ohio State
Jeff Maehl WR Oregon
Kyle Adams TE Purdue
Randall Hunt G Illinois
Brian Duncan ILB Texas Tech
Will Hill S Florida
Craig Stevens OLB Auburn
John Graves DT Virginia Tech
Mana Silva S Hawaii
Scott Tolzien QB Wisconsin
Marc Schiechl DE Colorado Mines
Chris Stewart G Notre Dame
Jamar Newsome WR UCF
Rich Lapham T Boston College
Amara Kamara OLB Temple
Graig Cooper RB Miami-Fl
Deunta Williams S North Carolina
Bryant Browning G Ohio State
DJ Young T Michigan State
Ryan Jones CB Northwest Missouri State
Byron Bell T New Mexico
Henry Hynoski FB Pittsburgh
Jordan White WR Western Michigan
Ollie Ogbu DT Penn State
Colin Cochart TE South Dakota State
Lestar Jean WR Florida Atlantic
M.D. Jennings S Arkansas State
Ryan Hill CB Miami-Fl
John Clay RB Wisconsin
Mike Holmes S Syracuse
Spencer Paysinger OLB Oregon
Taylor Potts QB Texas Tech
Isaiah Thompson G Houston
Terrance Turner WR Indiana
Patrick DiMarco FB South Carolina
Weslye Saunders TE South Carolina
Mark Dell WR Michigan State
Frantz Placide S Wagner
Ben Chappell QB Indiana
Nic Grigsby RB Arizona
Andre Holmes WR Hillsdale
Will Yeatman TE Maryland
Josh Davis T Georgia
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