{"id":18563,"date":"2017-04-24T16:16:51","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T20:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=18563"},"modified":"2017-04-25T04:46:34","modified_gmt":"2017-04-25T08:46:34","slug":"jaguars-offensive-line-2017-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/04\/24\/jaguars-offensive-line-2017-nfl-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Line Must Be Addressed in 2017 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Duval experienced yet another mundane offensive year in 2016, even though coming into the year hopes were high and faith in the offense was abundant. A lot of things went wrong, so it wouldn\u2019t be fair to point the finger at only one branch of the offense. However, I think we\u2019re all aware and in agreement that there\u2019s one gaping hole that trumps all the rest. Everyone say it with me:<\/p>\n<p>Offensive.<\/p>\n<p>Line.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Jacksonville Jaguars\u00a0Offensive Line Must Be Addressed in 2017 NFL Draft<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Pro Football Focus ranked Jacksonville\u2019s Offensive Line as the 19th\u00a0best in the NFL in 2016. Not only is that obviously below average, it\u2019s a shame considering how much was invested in players that underperformed such as <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/J\/JoecLu00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Joeckel<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BeacKe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kelvin Beachum<\/a><\/strong>, and <strong>Jeremy Parnell<\/strong>. The Jaguars MUST aim to improve this if they want any sort of success.\u00a0Last year, the only member of the Jags\u2019 line that really proved he deserved to come back was center <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/L\/LindBr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Linder<\/a><\/strong>. Beachum is now with the New York Jets, and Parnell had a very down year compared to his first with Jacksonville, allowing 7.5 sacks last year.\u00a0We&#8217;ve seen where a below average offensive line can get the team: seasons of five wins or less every year since 2010. <strong>Branden\u00a0Albert<\/strong> was acquired from the Dolphins to shore up that tackle spot, but that\u2019s not even the biggest area of concern with this line.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Options Moving Forward<\/h3>\n<p>Unfortunately, offensive line options in free agency have heavily thinned to mainly just depth options, and this year\u2019s draft doesn\u2019t boast near as many top tier linemen as it has in year\u2019s past. Quite frankly, it\u2019s one of the worst drafts for offensive lineman in recent history. The first offensive lineman prospect to come off the board will most likely be after the top ten, and will probably still be a reach wherever he\u2019s picked. There\u2019s just not much.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the Jags must be adamant in drafting the top prospects before their opportunity passes, unless they plan on being active in the trade market. I personally am a fan of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/dan-feeney-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dan Feeney<\/a><\/strong>, offensive guard out of Indiana. Yes, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/forrest-lamp-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forrest Lamp<\/a><\/strong> is the best guard in this draft, but the Jags are unlikely to trade down for, him, nor\u00a0will he fall to them in the second round.<\/p>\n<p>Feeney was a four-year starter at Indiana. Do the names <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HowaJo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jordan Howard<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/ColeTe01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tevin Coleman<\/a><\/strong> sound familiar? Well they should. They\u2019re both extremely talented running backs in the NFL who coasted at Indiana thanks in part to Feeney&#8217;s blocking. Going into his senior year, Feeney had allowed only one sack in 39 starts on the line per CBS Sports\u00a0<strong>Rob Rang<\/strong>. He was an insanely durable and consistent player up until his senior year, missing four games due to a concussion he sustained in week two against Ball State. Feeney is said to have an outstanding personality and an amazing work ethic by his Indiana coaching staff, and has some of the quickest feet for a guard in this entire draft.<\/p>\n<p>Another intriguing prospect is<strong>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/taylor-moton-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taylor Moton<\/a> <\/strong>out of Western Michigan. Moton is being projected by most as a third round selection, but he has the tools to turn into a consistent starter for an NFL team. Moton not only helped turn around Western Michigan\u2019s entire program, (1-11 in 2013, 13-1 in 2016) but he also played in every single game of his college career. After moving from right tackle to right guard his junior year, he received third-team\u00a0All-MAC honors. The following year he returned to his usual spot at right tackle, and pulled down first-team all-conference accolades\u00a0and a lot of All-American recognition. Moton is a huge prospect at 6\u20195\u201d, 319 pounds, and possesses the raw talent to become a starter in the NFL. Most of his issues are with mechanics and technique, so getting quality NFL coaching will help boost this guy to the next level.<\/p>\n<p>The defense looks top shelf. With a handful of signings that include <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/ChurBa99.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Barry Church<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BouyA.00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A.J. Bouye<\/a><\/strong>, and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/CampCa99.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Calais Campbell<\/a><\/strong>, Jacksonville looks to have a top ten defense [on paper] for this upcoming season, which means defense should be somewhat placed on the back burner until the latter days of the draft.<\/p>\n<p>With <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BortBl00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blake Bortles<\/a><\/strong> being in what we all assume to be a make or break year, the last thing he needs to be worrying about is a makeshift offensive line. Fixing this unit\u00a0would lead to improvements everywhere in the offense, which is fortunate, because everywhere in this offense seems to need improvement, the offensive line most of all. Everything starts with a foundation. Great blocking wins football games, and Duval could use some wins.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/460874298\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 70.033670% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/460874298?et=nt8iOLmnTipg0zCRNFedaA&amp;tld=com&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=Umf2WY1BtYAMhQp5t98U_XNF1h4ow-Kz8om4lt3AreY=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"416\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line is holding the team back and must be addressed in the draft if they are to emerge from mediocrity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1977,"featured_media":19182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1647,36],"tags":[1353,61,135,40,2318],"class_list":["post-18563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jaguars","category-nfl-draft","category-nfl-news","tag-2017-nfl-draft","tag-football","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-nfl","tag-offensive-line"],"modified_by":"John Bava","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1977"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}