Nothing says draft weekend like a morning in LaGuardia airport. I've been here 15 minutes and my flight is already being pushed backwards. If the new time is 12:15, would you take the over or under on being wheels up at 1:00?
Let's take a look at how the rest of the world is judging the Jaguars draft, shall we
: I don't give a lot of love to SI's Peter King, though he's done the best job in explaining the impact of trading for Matt Ryan on the rest of the NFL Draft. He also had this to say about the Jaguars Draft:
(Five things he thinks he might think when he thinks about the best drafts)
5. Jacksonville. I christen this draft the "We Are Desperate To Sack Peyton Manning and Will Sell Our Souls to Do So Draft." The Jags started the weekend with six picks in the top 150 of the draft. They exited the weekend with two players, and both are former SEC defensive ends -- Derrick Harvey of Florida and Quentin Groves of Auburn, picked at eight and 52, respectively. If you're going to pay for quality, you can't be afraid, and Jag GM James Harris was not on Saturday.
This is also funny (still from Peter King):
Jag-warz, announcers. Please. Please! Not Jag-wires. How can you pronounce it Jag-wires? There is no long i sound. There is no i
: Pat Yasinskas of ESPN says the Colts had the best draft in the AFC South, but gives Jacksonville a little attention as well:
Riskiest move
The Jaguars may have been only two players away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Those two players better be defensive ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves, because Jacksonville gave up a lot to get them. The Jaguars started the day with the No. 26 pick, but packaged it with two third-round picks and a fourth-round choice to jump up to No. 8 to grab Harvey, a University of Florida product.
The Jaguars didn't stop there. They swapped second-round picks with Tampa Bay and also parted with a fifth-round choice this year and a seventh-round pick in 2009. Both rookies probably will have to start immediately and the results better come quickly.
It's high risk and high reward, but two thirds and a 4th to move up 18 spots to grab a highly rated player is nowhere near a bad move, that's just foolish reporting.
: Michael Wright of the Florida Times-Union writes a fantastic article about the budding friendship between Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves:
"Great pass-rushers, when I play against them, I always give the high-five, 'what's up, how you doing?' and talk to them for a minute after every game," Groves said. "We did that for two years. I really like his game and I think he respects mine as well."
And:
"We bring a lot of pressure, speed, power," Harvey said. "[Groves] is a good player - explosive, fast, and he had a lot of sacks. We'll just try to use our athleticism to make plays. Coming in, all the players have a winning attitude. I hope we can add to that.
: Mel Kiper, who's about as inconsistent of a drafnik that I've ever seen, rips the Jaguars for giving up too much in order to get Derrick Harvey. What part of moving 18 picks without trading a single 2009 pick OR a second rounder does he not understand?
Jacksonville Jaguars: GRADE: C-
Not only was defensive end Derrick Harvey a big reach at No. 8 (after trading up with Baltimore), but the Jags gave up three picks in order to draft the Florida defensive end. Quentin Groves will be a good defensive end if he plays like he did as a junior. I do like CB Trae Williams, who could be a factor right away. I thought the Jaguars should have traded for Jason Taylor, a proven pass-rusher who would have been the missing link along the defensive line.
There's a taste of what the journalists have to say about the draft, What do you think?
-Chris