Geno Smith: Jaguars Not Sold, Would Rather Trade Down
By Luke Sims
Dec 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) drops back to pass during the second quarter against the Syracuse Orange at the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Draft Insider recently said that the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to trade down, out of their number two overall selection in April’s NFL Draft. There is a short list of players that general manager Dave Caldwell would like to pick at number two overall, but he obviously isn’t as sold on that handful of players as he would be on a wider selection later in the first round.
"I’ve been told by several people they would like to trade out of the spot and collect extra selections. I hear the scouting staff is not in love with any of the players at the top of the draft plus new general manager Dave Caldwell, well respected for his scouting talents, believes he’ll be able to harvest potential starters with multiple picks."
More than anything, I see this as an indictment of West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. Quarterbacks are notoriously overvalued in the NFL Draft and the Jaguars are in need of one to either push Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne out of the lineup or to force them to play better. Smith, the consensus top quarterback in this year’s draft class, impressed Jaguar head coach Gus Bradley, but apparently not enough for the team to decide that he is their man.
The prevailing thought among Jaguar fans right now is that if Smith is “the guy” then the Jaguars should draft him at number two overall and let him fight it out with Gabbert and Henne. If Smith isn’t the guy, then the Jaguars should pass. Well, if the Jags want out of the top two overall, then it would appear that Smith simply isn’t “the guy.”
I like Smith, but if the Jaguars don’t manage to trade back I wouldn’t expect him to be the pick at number two overall. The Jaguars are willing to move away from securing a good quarterback, so I would imagine a player like Sharrif Floyd (who visited the Jaguars on Monday and Tuesday) or Dion Jordan (who visited the Jaguars on Tuesday) to be the more likely picks.
– Luke N. Sims
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