Jaguars Mock Draft Round Up Week 2
Another week, another batch of mock drafts to go through. Now that the January 15th deadline for Juniors to declare has passed, this is where mock drafts should begin to get more concrete. For the Jaguars, things have gotten rather interesting. Defensive end still dominates, particularly a Boilermaker that draws comparisons to Aaron Kampman, but other areas are also catching up.
Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue: Chad Reuter, Rob Rang, Walter Football, Draft Debacled
Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina: New NFL Draft, Draft Gods
Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas: Football’s Future, Seattle Draft Blog
Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri: Pigskin Haven
Cam Newton, QB, Auburn: DraftTek
Brandon Harris, CB, Miami: Mock Draft Online
Mike Pouncey, C, Florida: Draft Season
I have to admit, I’m somewhat stunned at the variety of different ways people think the Jaguars will go. Ryan Kerrigan is becoming the early favorite for the Jaguars and I would be behind a pick if a franchise caliber QB isn’t available in Round 1. Kerrigan had an insane senior year, totaling 70 total tackles, 26 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and 13 sacks. A senior captain with a high level of college production has been a good indication of how Gene Smith has drafted, and Kerrigan would likely be another base hit type of pick. We’ll certainly have a full scouting report on him later on as the draft approaches.
Of the other picks, it is a mixed bag. Three have the Jaguars taking a QB, but I just can’t see THOSE QBs. My feelings on Ryan Mallett have been well known, and more of his off the field behavior is coming to light. He’s essentially a white chocolate version of Byron Leftwich with a worse attitude. Do we really want that in Jacksonville?
As for Cam Newton, like Tim Tebow before him, Newton will be the most polarizing QB prospect in the draft. I think Newton is a better QB prospect than Tebow, but his attitude is concerning. I don’t care about the pay to play scandal, but as part of a larger whole (Stolen laptop, allegedly was going to be expelled from UF, etc) things get more dicey.
Robert Quinn didn’t play at all last year because of the Agentgate scandal with UNC. He’s going to be another guy who will divide people. He was a Top 5 player heading into the year, but that was predicated on him refining his technique and maximizing his talent. I doubt he gets taken by Jacksonville.
The dunce cap though has to go to Draft Season for giving the Jaguars Mike Pouncey. While the Jaguars do need help along the interior of the line, there are several centers who would do better. It seems they still believe the Jaguars draft by BAG (Best Available Gator.)
-Jonathan Loesche
