To help get through the boring NFL offseason, we're going to attempt a series of breaking down the Jacksonville Jaguars 90-man roster. This is obviously subject to change with Dave Caldwell's wont to churn the roster and I'm sure that trend will continue going forward. Nevertheless, we'll start going down the roster sheet in alphabetical order and touch on why a player might improve, or regress and their chances of making the roster.
Next up, running back Beau Blankenship.
Blankenship finished his career at Ohio with just under 3,000 rushing yards, rushing for 910 yards in 2013. The previous season in 2012, Blankenship rushed for a school-record 1,604 yards with 15 touchdowns. The 5-9, 206 pound running back ran a sub 4.5 40-yard dash at his pro-day and showed enough to the Jaguars staff as a try out invite to rookie mini-camp to bring him along for training camp.
Why he might improve:
Blankenship showed enough as a try out player to catch the Jaguars eye to sign him to a contract after just a few days of work. With that worry out of the way, Blankenship can focus on what he needs to do to make the football team. He should get plenty of work with the uncertainty in the Jaguars backfield behind Toby Gerhart.
Why he might regress:
Blankenship is stepping up to the big stage against NFL players and while running back is usually one of the easiest positions to transition to, he's still an undersized back that's going to have to do a lot of things to make the final roster. It's possible Blankenship could be overwhelmed once the pads finally come on.
Chances of making the final roster:
Blankenship has an outside shot to make the final roster depending on how the rest of the running back position shakes out. He's done a nice job so far in OTAs and mini-camp by all accounts, but realistically his roster chance will come down to a few factors. First, can Blankenship contribute on special teams. Can he do more than potentially return kicks? Can he cover punts? Second, where is Blankenship at in pass protection and catching the ball out of the backfield? Those three factors will likely determine if he makes the final roster or potentially ends up on the practice squad.