Jacksonville Jaguars 2nd & 3rd Round Draft Grades
By Luke Sims
Nov 12, 2011; Miami, FL, USA; Florida International Panthers defensive end Tourek Williams (97) and Florida International Panthers strong safety Jonathan Cyprien celebrate a sack against Florida Atlantic Owls quarterback Graham Wilbert (not pictured) in the third quarter at FIU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
The second and third rounds are in the books and the Jacksonville Jaguars came away with Jonathan Cyprien and Dwayne Gratz, respectfully. The safety and cornerback both look to be immediate starters, giving the Jaguars two less holes in an incredibly thin secondary. Both players look to fit well schematically with head coach Gus Bradley’s defense. Let’s see how they grade out.
Round 2, pick no. 33: Jonathan Cyprien, S
- Cyprien fills a major need for the Jaguars at strong safety. He is physical, has good length, and he is going to be that enforced type player that the defense needs. One of Cyprien’s biggest assets in his draft reports is that he plays smart and that is what the Jaguars need. His physical presence can be relied upon and so can his decision making skills. He was NFL.com’s highest graded player selected in the second round. I give the Cyprien selection an A as he fills need, is a quality player at his position, and was the best graded player available in the draft at pick 33.
Round 3, pick no. 64: Dwayne Gratz, CB
- One of the last cornerbacks on the Jaguars’ board, Gratz conveniently fell to the Jags so they could fill another hole on their roster. Gratz figures to start immediately despite being the second lowest graded cornerback in the third round. Part of that is his immediate schematic fit with the Jaguars’ defense. Like Cyprien, he is an aggressive player who will be willing to dole out punishment on the outside. I like the pick and think he can excel in the Jaguars’ system but I’m not certain he was the best available even at the need and in a schematic fit. I grade this out to be a B.
– Luke N. Sims
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