:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30652639/20140324_ajl_af6_018.0.jpg)
It's pretty evident that the Jacksonville Jaguars will select a quarterback at some point in the 2014 NFL Draft. Some mock drafts have the Jaguars going with a quarterback at No. 3 overall, though there is a feeling with the local media that that won't be the case, there is one overlying point that both general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley keep reiterating.
They want a quarterback to sit and learn.
We can debate all day if there are any rookie quarterbacks ready to start Week 1 in the NFL in the 2014 NFL Draft class, but it's pretty clear by what they're saying that the Jaguars don't think that is the case.
"With this QB class, I think they're going to need a little bit of seasoning and to sit back and watch for a little bit," Caldwell told reporters on Monday at the NFL owner's meetings in Orlando, FL.
Caldwell is right, to a degree. None of the quarterbacks in the 2014 draft are that perfect prototype quarterback, or if you want to go with the common cliche "none of them are Andrew Luck".
"That's the approach we're going into it," Bradley said when asked about sitting a quarterback for a year, even if it's a first round pick. "Now if we can create that environment, we can just see similar to Seattle. I know Matt Flynn was the quarterback. He was the guy. Russell Wilson got drafted, came in and there was no expectations on him being the starter."
"Because of that world it gave him a chance to compete and put all of his energy into competing and you saw him progress very nicely," Bradley continued. "Not that that's the model to follow after, but there is one example of how it can work. If it takes a year, it takes a year. That's why we signed Chad Henne."
Personally, I think it's best to let a guy go and play and learn on the field. There are pros and cons to each method of doing it, but unless Caldwell and Bradley are making it up, it appears they plan to go into leaning on Henne as the starter unless a rookie shows they're ready for it in camp and the preseason.
Some also maintain that this line of thinking means the team won't take a quarterback at No. 3 overall, but it sounds more like the Jaguars plan is ultimately to just not rush whatever guy they draft on to the field. I don't think it rules anything out, really. While it's rare to have a Top 5 pick sit early on in their career lately, it's not completely unheard of.