Jacksonville Jaguars News & Notes: Mel Kiper Mock Draft 2.0, Rookie Class Grades, Kyler Murray and more

Another week in the offseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and another week to catch up on all news, notes, rumors and hot takes regarding the Jags from the past several. I’ve taken the liberty of putting all notable pieces of content about the team in this post, so it’s in one easy-to-read place.

Let’s jump right to it:

News & Notes

• Mel Kiper released his second mock draft this morning. Insider access is required, but I have you covered. With Dwayne Haskins going No. 6 to the New York Giants, Kiper has the Jaguars taking Florida offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor at No. 7 overall.
• (Update): The Jaguars have exercised the contract options for defensive end Calais Campbell, defensive end Lerentee McCray and safety Cody Davis. The team also officially declined to pick up the option for tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
• Jacksonville’s 2018 rookie class really underwhelmed this past season. So much so that NFL.com gave the class a grade of “C” and ranked it 29th out of 32 teams.
  Note: One thing they got wrong in the blurb, though, is that Leon Jacobs is not a depth player, he is considered a ”starter” (at strong-side linebacker). The Jaguars just tend to play a lot of nickel packages, so the SAM is not on the field all that often. Plus he missed time with injury.
• Buffalo Bills quarterback is finally firing back at Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, signing a photo from the Week 12 win and asking Ramsey “Am I still trash?” Here are our thoughts on the matter.
• Everybody’s favorite kicker, Josh Lambo, is staying in Jacksonville for another four years after signing an extension with the club.
• Jaguars.com senior writer John Oehser and senior correspondent Brian Sexton has been looking ahead to 2019 position by position. So far, they have covered offensive line, wide receivers, tight ends, quarterbacks, running backs and the defense.
• Whatever are the Jaguars going to do at the quarterback position? Here is the Big Cat Country QB Blueprint.
• Kyler Murray recently announced his decision to play professional football instead of professional baseball. This decision can have a huge impact on Jacksonville’s draft options. However, Murray’s decision to enter the draft should only help the Jaguars, even if Tom Coughlin and company pass on the small-framed quarterback.
• Nate Monroe of the Florida Times-Union sat down with Jaguars president Mark Lamping to discuss the Jaguars’ push to get electric utility company JEA headquartered in Lot J of TIAA Bank Stadium, and Lamping made it clear that the organization is committed to staying in Jacksonville.
• More quarterback talk: Joe Flacco was traded from the Baltimore Ravens to the Denver Broncos, in a move that takes (a washed-up) veteran option off of the table for the Jags. Still, Jacksonville remains in the driver seat for the QB market — whether that be Nick Foles or another player. Even if the Jaguars decide to draft a quarterback early, Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union believes the team needs to add a veteran like Foles as an insurance policy first.
• Quarterback remains the highest priority for the Jags, but with that said, getting a competent quarterback under center is not going to fix all of Jacksonville’s problems. There are many other concerns the team needs to address this offseason.
• Former Jaguar Ryan Davis — who is currently playing for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football league — suffered a scary neck injury over the weekend and was taken off of the field by stretcher. However, in much more positive news, Davis is doing OK was able to fly back safely with the team.
• Will Blake Bortles be wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform in 2019? It’s a possibility.
• Blake Bortles, Malik Jackson and Marcell Dareus all made NFL.com’s list of potential cut candidates in the AFC, with Bortles and Jackson ranking No. 2 and No. 3 most likely, respectively.
• Congratulations to Jaguars right guard A.J. Cann and his fiancee Kendal, for the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Kennie Amelia.

• Need a refresher on important 2019 offseason dates for the Jaguars? We have you covered.

More notable mock drafts

• Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports (Feb. 18): Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma (Haskins goes No. 6 to the Giants)
• Dan Kadar of SB Nation (Feb. 18): Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
• Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report (Feb. 18): Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
• Alex S. of USA Today Draft Wire (Feb. 15) has the Jaguars moving up to No. 4: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State
• Former Jaguar Maurice Jones-Drew of NFL.com (Feb. 12): Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma (Haskins at No. 6 here as well)
• For more, check out Jaguars.com for the mock draft tracker

(a lot of quarterbacks or offensive tackles, folks.)

As always, be sure to follow along with Big Cat Country throughout the week for all of the latest news, notes, reports and opinions.