2012 NFL Draft: Morris Claiborne, Dre Kirkpatrick Could Be On Jaguars Shortlist

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have a handful of options at the No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft at the end of April. Two players the Jaguars could have their sites set on are cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Dre Kirkpatrick. Both are expected to be top picks in the NFL Draft and both would fit perfectly with the Jaguars defense. While Claiborne ran a disappointing 40-yard dash time of 4.50, he was stellar in the rest of the drills at the NFL combine. Claiborne's 40-yard dash time isn't really that big of a deal, as on the film he's plenty fast (remember Joe Haden a few years ago?). Kirk patrick on the other hand rand a 4.51 40-yard dash time, which is very good for a corner of his length (6'2", 186 pounds). As Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union notes, both players will appeal to the Jaguars.

There's little doubt about that now. Claiborne is the best cornerback in the draft, expected to be a top-10 pick, if not a top-five pick, in April. Two Southeastern Conference cornerbacks head the class - he and Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick are the two certain first-rounders at a position the Jaguars will consider with the seventh overall pick.

"Claiborne is more a more natural man-to-man defender," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock told the Florida Times-Union. "Kirkpatrick has tremendous zone awareness. Some people think he can be a free safety. I think Claiborne you can plug in and play in just about any defense. He has a better overall package then Kirkpatrick."

The Jaguars should have a clear shot at Kirkpatrick with the No. 7 overall pick, but the water is a bit muddy when talking about Claiborne. Some feel Claiborne will be a Top 5 pick in the NFL draft, so if he winds up being the Jaguars guy they'll likely need to trade up for him, at least jumping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.