With less than one week to go, the rumors and rumblings surrounding the NFL Draft are at a rapid pace. Different people in the media are putting out weekly mock drafts and trying to pinpoint exactly which way a team is leaning. The Jacksonville Jaguars are being consistently mocked with a select few players, including Leonard Fournette and Jonathan Allen.
Jacksonville Jaguars Should Draft a Quarterback
All of these players would add an elite level talent to their roster. The Jaguars need that desperately right now in the worst way.
The Jaguars added Barry Church in free agency to play alongside Tashaun Gipson so taking a safety doesn’t making a ton of sense unless they are just that high on a guy like Jamal Adams or Malik Hooker. Then, we look at a guy like Jonathan Allen or Solomon Thomas who are both sort of tweeners, meaning they don’t have a “true position”. They are both very versatile and would be huge help for a defensive line that rotates a lot and makes a lot of sense. Finally, probably the most linked player to the Jaguars at four is Leonard Fournette. The Jaguars offense took a large step back this past season. Fournette has some scheme fit questions and some people wonder about the idea of taking a running back that high in the draft.
It’s not all on Bortles. The offensive line has its problems and the run game was non-existent before Nathaniel Hackett took over the offense. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns took large step backwards in play. Bortles was far from the only problem, but he was indeed a problem. The Jaguars shouldn’t feel comfortable with Chad Henne as the only viable backup.
Should the Jaguars really go all in on Bortles in 2017?
That shouldn’t excuse his poor play though, and at this point in his career he’s either the guy or he’s not. This year is his last year to prove that. If Bortles continues down the path we saw last season then the Jaguars are back at square one and in desperate mode for a quarterback next offseason. So why not take a quarterback if you really like one in the first few rounds to push Bortles and take over next season if he doesn’t work out?
At four it may be too rich, especially with how most people are characterizing this draft class. There has also been reports that scouts and people in the organizations think that this quarterback class is much better than what members of the media are leading on.
If the Jaguars are enamored with a guy like Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes and he is sitting there at the end of the 1st round, do you make a move and go get your guys if you view them?
If they don’t view any of the quarterbacks as guys who can solve the problem then that’s fine. But, if they like a guy and think he can be a franchise guy you have to pull the trigger.
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