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Now, making a value board is pretty hard. You can't let things like "need" and "want" get in the way. It's supposed to be a strict ranking of players in order of talent and value, ignoring things like team needs and all that other superfluous nonsense. Unfortunately it's damn hard to ignore things like that. Another factor that must be ignored is the actual draft order. Just because I've got Matt Ryan ranked 8th does not mean that I think the Baltimore Ravens will select the quarterback. Though it just happens to make perfect sense. Keeping all this bias out of the board is pretty hard and it won't take long for ya'll to point out that I'm making some pretty rough judgments. But, thankfully, this is an open process and I need your input to make this better. In a perfect world I'll be simply selecting the highest rated player off this list when the Jaguars come up in the Mock Draft.
My draft board makes a few assumptions that deserve mention.
- Big guys are weighted higher than skill positions. If I was stuck between a Offensive or Defensive linemen and a Cornerback, most often the big guy got the spot. You'll notice that with a few exceptions, Wide Receivers and Cornerbacks are toward the bottom of the chart. This is completely intentional.
- It's not a "Del Rio" board per se, but I'd like to think it reflects the attitude and approach of the Jaguars. There's no way I can get into Jack's head on this, but philosophically I think it's in line with what the Jaguars are thinking.
1. | Vernon Ghoulston | DE | Ohio State | |
2. | Jake Long | OD | Michigan | |
3 | Chris Long | DE | Virginia | |
4. | Glen Dorsey | DE | LSU | |
5. | Darren McFadden | RB | Arkansas | |
6. | Ryan Clady | OT | Boise State | |
7. | Sedrick Ellis | DT | Southern Cal | |
8. | Matt Ryan | QB | Boston College | |
9. | Mike Jenkins | CB | South Florida | |
10. | Keith Rivers | LB | Southern Cal | |
11. | Rashard Mendenhall | RB | Illinois | |
12. | Derrick Harvey | DE | Florida | |
13. | Leodis McKelvin | CB | Troy | |
14. | Jeff Otah | OT | Pitt | |
15. | Johnathan Stewart | RB | Oregon | |
16. | Quentin Groves | DE | Auburn | |
17. | Chris Williams | OT | Vanderbilt | |
18. | Aqlb Talib | CB | Kansas | |
19. | Branden Albert | OG | Virginia | |
20. | Phillip Merling | DE | Clemson | |
21. | D.R. Cromartie | CB | Tennessee St. | |
22. | Dan Connor | LB | Penn St. | |
23. | Devin Thomas | WR | Michigan St. | |
24. | Kenny Phillips | S | Miami | |
25. | Calais Campbell | DE | Miami | |
26. | Gosder Cherilus | OT | Boston College | |
27. | Malcolm Kelly | WR | Oklahoma | |
28. | Felix Jones | RB | Arkansas | |
29. | Kentwan Balmer | DT | North Carolina | |
30. | Sam Baker | OT | Southern Cal | |
31. | Reggie Smith | S | Oklahoma | |
32. | Limas Sweed | WR | Texas |
I'm sure there are problems with this ranking. If you've got beef, please tell me about it in the comments. Make a convincing argument and I'll change it. In most cases you won't have to be THAT convincing either.
I can already see a problem with the last 7 picks, or at least see where I'll probably be reaching a bit. If I've got the choice between say Kenny Phillips, Malcolm Kelly, Felix Jones and Kentwan Balmer, I'm going to reach for the big Defensive Tackle from UNC, and probably pass a few talented players in the process. Does that mean I should put Kentwan higher?
Drafting is hard.
-Chris