My Jags Draft for 2005

so like every year I pretend im the GM of the Jaguars and make a selection for each of the Jaguars pick. Overall I thought I did an OK job. This was a tougher year for me. A lot of the players I liked got picked right before I wanted them... like Kerry Rhodes, S, Louisville. A lot of the players I was targeting before the draft began just did not have a legitimate shot to fall where I would have liked... like David Baas, C/G, Michigan. Too many good players available to take him in the first round but I knew there was no way he was gonna be around for the Jags 2nd round pick. While Baas wasnt a need, I think he can start as a rookie and anchor the Oline for the next 10 years. Just wasnt meant to be. Now on to who I pick....

First round pick was Mark Clayton, WR, Oklahoma. A lot of talk around town about whether the Jags should have taken Clayton instead of Matt Jones with the first pick. I personally wasnt even considering Jones with the first pick and Clayton was the obvious choice for me. May not have great size but has good speed, quickness, great hands, tough going over the middle, and one of the best open field runners the draft has produced at the WR position in awhile. While some say his size is a problem, he is taller and bigger than Deion Branch who was MVP of the Super Bowl so i dont buy it. Very productive player whose only negative in my opinion was he didnt always create tons of separation on short to intermediate routes in college and Im wondering how that will affect him in the NFL where the corners are much faster. Other than that, I think Clayton should be a great player. I just wonder how productive he will be playing for the Ravens. Its quite likely that he wont put up great numbers in that offense because few WRs do.

Second round pick was Channing Crowder, LB, Florida. Yea I know, thats probably a reach. I really struggled over this pick. Justin Miller of Clemson was still available. So was Khalif Barnes of Washington. Dan Cody of Oklahoma. Good players who all had first round grades. But for some reason I couldnt pass on Crowder. I know he has character issues(fights outside of Gainesville nightclubs). and I believe he had knee surgery in the offseason which scared teams away. But when healthy, he was the most dominant player on the Gators defense. They didnt lose as much this year when he didnt play because of Brandon Siler but when Crowder was a freshman, the quality of the defense was like night and day when he was in and out of the lineup. He has great intensity. runs sideline to sideline. closes on the ball carrier quickly. has pretty much everything you look for in a linebacker. biggest problem on the field is his lack of experience and youth. With a former linebacker like Del Rio as your coach, I bet Crowder would have been a really good player for the Jaguars. Interested to see how he does for the Dolphins.

Third round pick was Ciatrick Fason, RB, Florida. Some may think Im a florida homer. And I guess I am a little but when in doubt draft a kid from a florida school. theres a reason why UF, FSU, and Miami are in the top 5 or 6 of colleges with most players in the NFL. Anyways, I really liked Fason and I know the Jags did too. They probably would have taken him in the 4th round but the Vikings got him before the Jags could. Fason may not have elite speed but he was able to run away from college players. Takes long strides so he doesnt look as fast as he is. And he may not have Barry Sanders like elusiveness but he is good at making one or two cuts and then exploding out of it. Good receiver out of the backfield. Didnt play much early in his career but was very productive as a junior when Ron Zook finally decided to play him. Would have easily replaced Toefield as the third down back and could have potentially replaced Fred Taylor as the starter in a few years.

Fourth round pick was Fred Gibson, WR, Georgia. I thought he was a first day pick that fell. He has all the physical tools but just didnt have his head in the game at all times. and has durability issues. While he scared away a lot of teams with those negatives, he was still a good, productive player in college. And even if he doesnt live up to his potential in the NFL, he could easily be a good player at that level as well. And if he does live up to his potential, he could be one of the best WRs from this draft. I think the steelers got a steal getting in the 4th round.

Fifth round pick was Gerald Sensabaugh, S, North Carolina. Just so happened that the Jaguars picked him as well. I already talked about him in my recap of who the Jaguars drafted. But again, great athlete, good size, very productive at a lower level of football and continued that when he went to North Carolina.

First of two sixth round picks was Jovan Haye, DE, Vanderbilt. How often do I get to pick a guy from Vanderbilt?!? has only been playing football for four or five years now. started playing as a junior or senior in high school(in Miami no less) which is why he flew under the radar and ended up at Vandy in the first place. Had a breakout season as a sophomore. i believe he led the SEC in sacks. he put on a bit of weight entering his junior season which ended up being a bad decision and coupled with the fact that he faced constant double teams, his production really fell. he has pretty good size and good measurables for a DE. may not ever be a starter but should provide good depth on a rotating defensive line.

Second of two sixth round picks was Rob Petitti, OT, Pittsburgh. his claim to fame to was shutting down Dwight Freeney early in his career. good size and really long arms. may not have the athleticism to play left tackle but should be good depth and could push for a starting spot at RT. Jaguars are really thin at tackle and while this position probably should have been addressed earlier, the players I liked were all chosen before I had the chance to select them.

Seventh round and final pick was Adam Bergen, TE, Lehigh. Obviously Ive never seen him play and I dont think many have either. Honestly, who watches Lehigh football? Of course I watched every second of the 18 hours of draft coverage so I shouldnt talk. But anyways, from what Ive read of Bergen he has really good hands and is aggressive going after the ball. He doesnt have great strength but NFL workouts and steroids can fix that. Thought he sounded like a good project as a 7th rounder. Jags have depth at TE but not much quality. Brady is a good blocker but couldnt catch a cold. Wrighster has potential as a receiver but hasnt put it together. Yoder(another vandy boy!) is a backup at best. Think Bergen was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cardinals. Wonder if he will ever make an NFL roster.

So that concludes my 2005 list. As usual, a couple guys from Florida schools and the vast majority from schools in the southeast. cant really go wrong with that philosophy. afterall, its where the best college football is played...

2005 Draft for the Jaguars

Ill give a recap of the Jacksonville Jaguars 2005 draft and how I feel about each pick. Ill post my picks for the draft in a day or two after and then update My Jags Draft page.

First pick of the draft was... Matt Jones, WR, Arkansas. This pick is raising a lot of eyebrows around town. Isnt this a risky pick? Why use a first rounder on a guy converting from QB to WR? Did we draft him too high? etc... etc... I have to say that I really like Matt Jones. Always been a fan of his. Obviously he has unreal physical tools. 6'6, 240, runs a 4.37 40, 40 inch vertical. was arguably the best player in the SEC the last couple seasons. would have played WR at Arkansas but they needed him to have the ball in his hands every snap to be competitive. played and practiced as WR at the senior bowl. showed good hands. There are a lot of thinks to like. But I have to say Im one of the people who think we drafted him too high. maybe im too cautious but I dont think i would use the 21st overall pick on a project. Cuz face it, thats what he is. he was a playmaker in college but will he be so in the nfl, especially now when he wont have the ball in his hands every snap? will he be able to successfully make the transition? yea he has great straight ahead speed but does he have the necessary quickness to be a great receiver? Again, Ive always been a fan but im not sure i would have made this pick(after all i had us drafting mark clayton). after the selection i found out the eagles were trying to trade up numerous times in order to get Jones. If I had known how much interest he was drawing from teams directly behind us that could have changed my opinion about not taking him with the 21st pick but i still doubt that. I like my first round picks to be more of a sure thing... well at least more of a sure thing in my mind.

Second pick in the draft was Khalif Barnes, OT, Washington. Now there were a lot of mock drafts that had the Jags taking Barnes in the first round. So in that sense it was a real bargain to land him in the second round. the thing is, i dont really care for Barnes. from what ive read and seen, he doesnt play up to his measurables. He has great size, speed, and athleticism, but it doesnt translate on the field. Knowing the jags were thinking of going tackle, i watched the senior bowl specifically looking at tackles. i had heard that Barnes really shined during practice all week so i was expecting good things from him. but he played lousy. george gause outta south carolina ran him over. demarcuse ware kept running around him. he shouldnt have been starting that game let alone starting in the NFL. while mike pearson may not be ready at the start of the season due to injury, i dont think Barnes will be ready either. He isnt good enough. doesnt use his strength. and plays will a passive attitude. in my opinion the jags coaches will really need to teach him to play more aggressively if he wants to live up to his potential. im just really glad we didnt waste a first round pick on the guy... and not just because he fell to the second round.

The third pick of the draft was Scott Starks, CB, Wisconsin. I have to admit that I dont know a whole lot about Scott Starks. Very short. good speed. while ive read he is a playmaker, he didnt intercept many balls in college. when giving his post draft interview, Del Rio said the jaguars were looking for a corner and Starks was the best one available. sounds to me like they reached for a need and just chose the fastest corner still on the board. Personally I dont see how someone that short can become a good starting corner. looks like he will end up being a special teamer who comes in on nickel situations. dont agree with using a third round pick on a guy who has little chance to become a good starter.

The fourth pick was Alvin Pearman, RB, Virginia. jack of all trades. runs well. very good catching the ball out of the backfield. solid return man. would have gone higher if not for being slow. usually this front office trys to draft speed guys so this pick was a bit surprising. looks like another special teamer who may push labrandon toefield for the role of third down back due to his pass catching ability. again because of limitations, his lack of speed, here is another guy who has little chance of ever becoming a quality starter. thought there quality players available in the 3rd and 4th round who had potential of becoming starters and the jags didnt take any of those players with either pick. Seems like they again reached for a need. i wonder if they were hoping Ciatrick Fason, who was taken a few spots ahead, would fall to them.

The fifth pick was Gerald Sensabaugh, S, North Carolina. This was my favorite pick for the Jags. And not just because I picked the same player in the 5th round in my jags draft. good size. great athlete. productive player. flew under the radar because he played at east tennessee state his first three years. when the Bucs quit football, he transferred to North Carolina for his senior season where he led the team in tackles. put up big numbers at the lower level and continued that in the ACC with carolina. wowed scouts at the combine with a 46 inch vertical!(yes 46 inch vertical!!) I bet by the beginning of the 2006 season, he is starting in the secondary.

The sixth pick was Chad Owens, WR, Hawaii. was also a kick returner which is where i think he will make an impact with the jags if he ever does. very short. average speed at best. very quick and elusive as a returner but again doesnt have great speed and will have troubling running away from the great athletes in the NFL. jags havent had many big plays from the return game for awhile. With his lack of speed Im not sure he will ever change that.

The seventh pick was Pat Thomas, LB, North Carolina St. he was a guy I initially liked when i looked over all the stats at the end of the college football season. he was a very productive player over the last three seasons. but I was under the impression he wasnt an impressive athlete. after the jags drafted him i looked at his pro day workout numbers and was surprised. Ran the 40 in 4.61 seconds. and had a short shuttle of 4.36. was not invited to the combine so not sure if those numbers can be comparable to the other draftee's. if those numbers are legit and are combined with his production, he could turn into a steal. will have to earn a spot on the team by being a special teamer but could develop into a starter in a few years.

The eight pick was Chris Roberson, CB, Eastern Michigan. Never heard of him before he was drafted. Read he was a WR turned CB for his senior season. Good size and speed. a complete project. long shot to make the team and will have to be a special teams standout to do so.


Overall I didnt think was the best draft. Of the 8 picks, I think only three of them have legitimate chances of becoming good starters in the league. I really like Matt Jones but I think 21 was a little early for him. Im satisifed with that pick however and think he will develop into at worst a solid pro. I am not a fan of Khalif Barnes and wonder if he has the attitude to become a good left tackle but has the potential to become a good one. Thought the 3rd and 4th round picks were reaches for need positions. Both picks have little potential to become starters because of size and speed limitations respectively. Sensabaugh was my favorite pick. Great value pick who I think will be a starter by 2006. Owens and Thomas are solid picks in the back of the draft who will hopefully provide meaningful special team minutes. Roberson is a project that has little chance of making the team.

Good draft from a need perspective although the probably needed to select one or two more big men. Below average draft in how many players have a reasonable chance of becoming quality starters.

NFL Draft is fast approaching for the jacksonville jaguars

Once again im getting ready for the draft as if i were the gm for the jaguars. ive narrowed down a list of the players im hoping will fall to the 21st pick. barring any changes in the next few days, this is who im going to target for the jaguars.

number one choice is mark clayton. yea i know we drafted a WR in the first round last year. and yea i know it could be argued that cb and ot are bigger needs. and it could be argued that clayton isnt big enough and doesnt create enough separation. but instead of looking at the negatives first lets look at the positive. he was one of the most productive receivers in college. he has great hands. will catch the ball over the middle in traffic. great running with the ball after the catch. was the best player at the senior bowl dominating the competition. one of the negatives you hear is that he doesnt have elite size or elite speed. but he is bigger than and just as fast as deion branch who happened to be the mvp of that little game called the super bowl. a lot of people are comparing clayton to steve smith even though clayton is bigger. the only thing that concerns me is if you watch highlights, he sometimes has trouble getting separation on some shorter routes. but even still im pretty convinced clayton is going to be one of the better receivers from this draft and will turn into a good pro. and if the comparisons to steve smith are correct(especially the steve smith from 2003), clayton will turn into a pro bowler.

ok my number two choice. David Pollack. yea the guy doesnt have the prototypical size and doesnt have really long arms. but you cant deny his productivity in college. multiple all american. set the SEC sack record. big play ability. nonstop hustle. and for all the talk about his lack of natural athletic ability, he squats 700 pounds. and he ran a short shuttle time of 3.90. short shuttle is a test to measure one's short area quickness as opposed to 40 times which measures straightaway speed. to put his short shuttle time in perspective, the fastest shuttle time at the combine was produced by a defensive back at 3.75 seconds. no DE besides Pollack even sniffed 4 seconds. a 3.90 for a DE is unbelievable. shouldnt really be a surprise i imagine because there had to be a reason why a 6'2 270 pound DE with short arms set the alltime sack record in the SEC. i have a hard time believing a guy who is that strong, is that quick, with that much hustle, and was that productive in college wont be a good player in the NFL.

the third choice is carlos rogers. there is a good chance that he wont fall that far but he is here cuz there is a possibility he will. jags are in desperate need for a corner opposite mathis. rogers has the size and speed to be a really good player. biggest negative ive read is that he isnt a great tackler. but mathis wasnt either coming out of college. he would fill the biggest hole on the defense.

the fourth choice is thomas davis. again, good chance he wont fall to 21 but he is also here cuz there is a possibility. safety/lb tweener but would probably be a better fit at LB for the jags. good speed for a LB. only average speed for a safety. plays like a linebacker. good at stopping the run. can cover tight ends and rbs. isnt very good covering receivers. doesnt have great ball skills. but i think he'd be a good fit on this defense. and with brian vangorder now as our LB coach(he was DC for georgia), im sure he knows all of Davis' strengths and weaknesses better than anyone.

the fifth choice is jamaal brown. played rt for the sooners. won a lot of accolades. quick feet. athletic. doesnt have great size but nfl workouts and steroids can take care of that. with Pearson coming back from injury and ephraim salaam not being the answer, the jags have a potential hole at LT. brown has the athleticism to move to the leftside but there would be a learning curve since he played rt in college. or they could possibly move mo williams to leftside with brown taking the rightside.

granted, that list could change if a guy like Derrick Johnson or one of the top three RBs fall to 21 but im under the assumption the chances of that are next to nothing. if all five of those players are gone, then ill have to decide between in my opinion what are a second tier of players or guys that im not expecting to be there. Good chance Justin Miller will be there but i dont think he is as good as rogers. Erasmus James battled injury problems but when healthy looked dominant as a senior. he may not make it to 21.

the other possibility is to draft someone a little earlier than i may like. last year i really wanted sean taylor, roy williams, or deangelo hall. all three were gone when the jags pick arrived. my next tier of players was one of the miami linebackers. thinking i wouldnt get top value with the 9th pick if i used it on vilma or williams, i decided to go another direction. as it turns out Vilma wasnt drafted much farther down from 9 and was defensive rookie of the year. DJ williams who was close to 10 picks lower, was one of the best rookies. the guy i picked, udeze, slipped because of injury concerns and was less value than the two miami linebackers. so if the guys i really want are not there, i should not take a player im not interested in because i think its the best value. should take the player i want. a guy like channing crowder perhaps who is projected as a very late first round pick.

draft is less than a week away and there are a lot of things that can happen between now and then. i know i cant wait!

Marcus Stroud gets 5 year extension

Jacksonville jaguars and marcus stroud agree to a five year extension. courtesy of len pasquerelli at espn...

"There is an initial signing bonus of $6.5 million and then, five days after the contract is officially executed, Stroud will receive a $3.2 million roster bonus. A second roster bonus, worth $2.5 million, is due on March 1, 2006. Stroud, just 26, already pocketed a roster bonus of $300,000 last month that was part of his original contract.

The contract's base salaries are $540,000 (2005), $545,000 (2006), $1.415 million (2007), $5 million (2008), $5.5 million (2009) and $6 million (2010). The base salaries for 2005 and 2006 are guaranteed and Stroud can earn $100,000 in offseason workout bonuses in each of the first three years of the extension."

Once again, the new and improved jaguars front office comes up with a cap friendly deal. unless i misunderstood it, looks like it is basically a three year deal. and come 2008, they will either redo his contract or they can cut him and save 3 million on the cap. And by 2008, Stroud will be 29 years old and will have played 7 years in the league. jaguars should have an idea if stroud is beginning to slow down and if his skills are declining or if he still has some gas in the tank and worth extending his contract.

its good they were able to redo his contract now instead of waiting. next year stroud would have become a free agent and the jags most likely would have franchised him. after seeing the mess with darius, seems like its best to avoid having to franchise any player. probably wouldnt have been as big a deal with stroud because obviously we were willing to pay him like the best DT in the league. but again, better to extend his contract on his terms rather than creating any ill will by franchising.

reassuring to know that we've got one of if not the best defensive tackle in the league guaranteed to be a jaguar for the next three years. now its john henderson's turn next year...

Why does anyone want the Jaguars to take Khalif Barnes?

Its the time of year where everyone has a mock draft and everyone has an opinion on who the jags take. understandable. cuz im one of them. but why in the world do so many people want the jags to take khalif barnes? sometimes i wonder if people see that the guy is rated as one of the top three tackles, mike pearson is coming off knee surgery and may not be ready, and then think you know what lets draft khalif barnes with our first pick.

all i hear is that mike pearson may not be ready to start the season. ephraim salaam sucks. what are we going to do with byron leftwich's blindside? we dont have a tackle. etc... and i agree thats all true. there is a very real possibility that mike pearson's fast rehab wont be fast enough and he wont be ready to start the season. but has anyone stopped to think if khalif barnes is ready to start at left tackle? the only reason the guy has creeped his way into a first round possibility is potential. where was he rated when the college football season ended? it sure as hell wasnt the first round! he wasnt a dominating tackle in college. but scouts measured his height, his weight, his 40 time, reps, and then all of a sudden, wow, what an impressive physical specimen. with numbers like that, gee how can he not turn into a dominating left tackle!?! and next thing you know he goes shooting up the draft boards.

for those who want to take Barnes in the first round, go watch the Senior Bowl. not the practices the week before. but the actual game. he sucked. he couldnt stop demarcus ware even if he had a third hand to grab ware's jersey with. all the athleticism in the world wont help you if you arent physical.

khalif barnes may turn into a great player one day. he needs to get stronger. and needs good coaching to turn that athleticism into skills a left tackle needs. but he isnt close to being ready to start in the NFL. so if any jaguars fans out there want to draft someone to start at left tackle because mike pearson may not be ready, khalif barnes isnt your man.

Orange and Blue Game

Went to the Orange and Blue game down in Gainesville today. here are some post game stats courtesy of gatorcountry. http://florida.scout.com/2/368285.html

Chris Leak looked good. Threw some nice TD passes to Dallas Baker and Chad Jackson. Only times he seemed hesitant were running the option. But I wondered how good that could be today since the offensive lines were split up and theyve only been practicing it for a month or so. Leak only threw 6 incompletions and only one pass i thought should have been picked off. A DB by the name of Fetheroff, number 11, came in for a few plays after Kyle Jackson limped off. Misread a poorly thrown ball that I think Chad Jackson ended up catching.

Josh Portis seemed hesitant early but really came on strong late. Was a better passer than I thought he would be and was a good runner creating in the open field. when flushed he took his eyes off down the field but thats to be expected for a true freshman.

didnt really see much from the running game other than a couple delays to markus manson. shitfy runner with good speed. deshawn wynn didnt play today. i heard he was injured and couldnt go. based on what ive read about practice, it sounds like he has a good chance to be the starter when the season starts.

tough to get an idea about the defense. thought i heard urban meyer say there wouldnt be any blitzing although i sure saw some. but it definitely seems like the game is more geared towards the offense and it showed. individually, Siler made a few nice tackles. Latsko had four or five plays in a row where he was in on every tackle. steven harris was able to get in on a couple tackles and deflect a pass. kyle jackson made a really nice play on a reverse on 4th down.

pretty fun day. nice to see glimpses of what meyer's offense can do with better talent. big crowd. 58,500 people were in attendance today. probably bigger than any home game Meyer has ever coached. not bad for a spring scrimmage.

Chevon Walker commits to the Gators

yes its early. okay very early. but chevon walker of riverdale is the first commitment for urban meyer in 2006.

courtesy of sunshinepreps.net.
For all you Gator fans...

looks pretty quick on the video eh? well apparently he won the 100 and 200 meter dashes at the Lee County Athletic Conference championship. He ran a 10.85 100 meter. Also, he beat Noel Devine from North Fort Myers.