Jaguars 2009 Draft Class: A quick look

1st round..LT Eugene Monroe(best pass protector in the draft. Absolute steal!)
2nd round..LT Eben Britton (Britton will play RT or RG and wants to punish the teams who skipped him in the 1st)
3rd round…DT Terrance Knighton( Big 6'3" 320 lb run stuffer, GM Gene Smith thinks he can start)
3rd round…CB Derek Cox(trade with pats, we lost this 7 and next years 2, but they feel this guy will start)
4th round..WR Mike Thomas (short and very very quick)
5th round…WR Jarret Dillard (60 td’s in 4 years.. tied ncaa record)
6th round..TE Zach Miller (runs a 4.53 40 and is also an option QB)
7th round (1st comp pick)...Rashad Jennings, HB (bruiser HB from a small school)
7th round (2nd comp pick)...Tiquan Underwood, WR (Special Teams gunner, great leaping ability with wiry frame)

-Brandon Clark

Gene Smith drafts value in 2009

Pictured Above: Jacksonville Jaguars first round draft choice in 2009, offensive tackle Eugene Monroe.


With Mark Sanchez going early to the Jets at pick 5 in a trade with the Browns, I thought all hopes of a trade were gone. Well, the trade was gone because value far exceeded at each of our picks and I will rest easy tonight because we had a great first day. Thank you Gene Smith.

Jaguars Selections in round 1,2:
Eugene Monroe, LT Virginia- More than value, that is why there was no trade. No one could equal a fixture at a premium position for 10 years. Rare that we get one.


Eben Britton, LT Arizona- My first reaction was that it was odd. Then i heard on Sirius NFL Radio that Gil Brandt had Britton as 22 on his value board. Smart move as this was value that solidified the ends of our offensive line for years to come.

Both of our picks should not have happened. Each of these players represented far greater value than their selection as they both should have been gone much earlier. I am proud to be a Jaguars fan on this day and Gene Smith will have me sleeping easy because I truly can trust his moves as our General Manager. He is a rookie no more as he solidified the tackle position of our O-line for years to come. This leaves me even more excited about tomorrow.

Now I hope for Shawn Nelson (TE Southern Miss) and Jarret Dillard (WR Rice) in 4.


Off-the-wall thoughts:

Bill Belichick is the best drafter ever, if certain contract-year starters don't play for reasonable contracts, he has their replacements, and for much cheaper.

Mangini made our move (he traded down three times-in the first round). Touche.

My prediction of Pat White to the Pro Bowl will be right, as White is the new (wild)cat in town, and I have a 3 year window for him to make the ProBowl.

Andre Smith was the second LT taken.

Oakland did take DHB, and off the top of my head the rest were more than likely wrong.

Al Davis is still insane.

Our new uniform looks great on stage, especially when it was held by a 10-year bookend at LT.

In the words of the late Heath Ledgers Joker, Gene Smith is "a man of his wuuurd-ah".


Quotes:
Eugene Monroe was interviewed by Deon Sanders of the NFL Network. Great interview, Monroe has a likable personality and seeing him genuinely excited to see his dreams come true as a Jacksonville Jaguar, well it genuinely made me happy.

Britton also seems likable, but more because of the now "chip" on his shoulder for being drafted low. This should remind you of someone. Yes, Maurice Jones-Drew. Maybe you've heard of him.

On a Jaguars.com interview, Britton had the following to say:

“I couldn’t be happier. Every team that passed on me is going to regret it,” he said. “I’m going to work my (butt) off to be a Jacksonville Jaguar,” Britton said.

“When that first game comes, somebody is going to pay for it,” Britton said. “People told me I wasn’t big enough, I wasn’t strong enough. That all ends today.”

“There’s nobody in this draft that has a bigger heart than I do. I’m so fired up to be a Jacksonville Jaguar you can’t even believe it.”

Britton is a 6'5" 317 pound offensive tackle that will likely compete for the RT spot or possibly play guard.


I am always for a guy that wants to hurt the other team. It may not sound nice but football is a physical sport. The weaker man loses. This goes for the mental aspect as well.

Positional Needs remaining.
WR
DT
CB
C

Remember, new GM Gene Smith drafts by Best Available Player, not by needs.


-Brandon Clark

Bill Murray and brothers visit the Jaguars

In Florida for the ninth annual Murray Bros. Caddyshack® Charity Golf Tournament, actor Bill Murray and his five brothers visited the Jacksonville Jaguars for the day and participated in workouts. HAHAHA. Link. Here are some photos.

Height, I promise you, had nothing to do with the outcome.

Bill Murray "helping".

Bill Murray with now slimproved QB David Garrard. I really like that word-slimproved.

Jack Del Rio and Bill Murray go over film.

More slimproved Garrard.

This photo of Rich Eisen is just funny for no other reason than it's "rich".

**Jags photos are from Jaguars.com and Eisen is from NFL.com**

-Brandon Clark

Jaguars Get New Uniforms

Everyone has seen them so theres no point in the announcement, but here are some photos that stood out to me. Click the picture for a larger version. The first one is hilarious!

Longsnaper/Emcee Joey Zelenka "pokin" fun at Center Brad Meester in the tight-fit jersey.

Greg Jones , #33, our FB/#2 HB is HUGE!!

Rashean Mathis-One of my favorite players spors the home jersey. I admit, they are growing on me.

The new and slimproved David Garrard, on the verge of a ProBowl Season. Yes I just made up the word slimproved and I find it fun to say, much like whippersnapper

New helmet that changes colors in the light. It is base black and when the sun hits, it will turn the team color teal. Much like how cars can shift colors..

**Jags photos are from Jaguars.com Photo Gallery**

-Brandon Clark

Mike Mayock on Pat White

"Pat White is not a gimmick,'' Mayock said. "He's the type of kid who you want the ball in his hands. I don't care if he's running it, throwing it, or catching it. I want the ball in his hands. Some teams like him as a quarterback. I'd take him in the second round with no hesitation, use him as a Wildcat this season, and try to develop him as a full-time quarterback, because I think he's got that kind of ability.

Quote from SI.com.

This is interesting as Pat White is a solid third round choice to most mock drafters, and I can't even pretend to know what true scouts think of him. I do agree with Mayock that he is a play-maker. He would be around for years and be a great influence in the locker-room. He's a coach's boy. By that I mean that when you say play wr, he says,"Yes sir". When you say play QB, he says,"Yes sir". Pat White is a great guy that I would love to see playing for the Jaguars this fall, although I do wonder how well his WR possibilities are.
I think Pat White's value is increased for the Jaguars because they need youth at QB, this is where he serves extra value. Remember, it's all about value for the Jags. Does his ability to play multiple positions move him up their board? We may never know. Good luck to Pat Whit, I hope his highlights make the top next season.

-Brandon Clark

A Look At Saturday's Draft

First-off, the Jaguars would like to trade down and collect more picks. This is due to the many holes that are on the team, but don't let that fool you. The Jaguars are every bit set to become a contending team in 2009. Will they make the playoffs? The draft will tell.

The Jaguars needs are WR, DT, CB, SS and line depth all over. Will a WR be looked at in the first round? Many people say that this is a bad idea due to the high bust rate, and Jaguars ability to higher that rate. What are new GM Gene Smith's thoughts?

“Wide receiver is a position on our team that we’d like to see what’s available when we pick. We’re not going to force a pick. You still want to stay with garnering value and getting the best available player,” Smith said.

If they still elect to trade down, Mark Sanchez would be the the catalyst as many teams would love to have the former USC star. The problem is, he might not make it to 8.

“He’s the guy the whole league wants to know where he’s going. Is it Seattle at four? The whole league is saying he’s a pivotal player,” Jaguars Director of Player Personnel Terry McDonough said of Sanchez.

McDonough goes on to say that it's unlikely that Sanchez will fall to the Jags.

Does this leave options at halfback? I've already discussed Chris Wells and Knowshon Moreno as options, but not necessarily at 8, as this appears to be too high of value for both of these players. Gene Smith does want to run a two-back system, but we do have Greg Jones, so factor that in.

“I do feel like you need two backs, a feature back and a companion back,” Smith said.

This does not mean the Jaguars are desperate to find a "companion" back, it only means that the Jags agree with a two-back system. Greg Jones is being paid the money to carry the rock, not just block for it, so the possibility of a high pick at tailback is in doubts. Now, a mid-to-late round selection wouldn't surprise me, or anyone for that matter.

If the draft does magically rob the Jaguars of all great picks before 8 and leave no room to trade down, I could see a posibility of Moreno or Wells, but it's not likely.

**All quotes are derived from a Jaguars.com article posted on April 21, 2009 entitled "Sanchez Draft's Pivotal Player" and written by Vic Ketchman**

2009 NFL Draft: Interior Lineman Leave Question Marks

I did not know that the class of guards was not that great this year. I hear names and I look into a few of them and I'm thinking,"OK, this is what we got, seems good". Well, apparently they are not that good. After reading former Pro Scout Tom Marino's thoughts on these guys-I left dissapointed. You see, the Jags need depth at the interior of the O-line. Manuwai and Mo Williams should be back and hopefully playing well. The problem that arises is that this years depth isn't that great at the interior, or so it seems.

Read the articles yourselves, and then we can discuss in the comments below.

Marino on Centers

Marino on Guards

Then again, this could just be a classic example of over examining. Although that's not normally a scout's mistake, it's normally the media...



-Brandon Clark