Jacksonville Jaguars 2014 NFL Draft: Meeting with More Top Prospects
By Daniel Lago
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ front office is very busy this week hosting a multitude of top prospects at varying positions. While most of the news has focused on the group of quarterbacks visiting Jacksonville, general manager David Caldwell is also bringing in some of the top receivers and defensive players.
Big-time visits for #Jaguars continue tomorrow when #Clemson WR Sammy Watkins is in town, along with Derek Carr. If Watkins is there at 3...
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 9, 2014
In addition to QBs Manziel and Bridgewater, Texas A & M WR Mike Evans will be meeting with the Jaguars today. @NFLonFOX @FOXSportsLive
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 9, 2014
One more high-profile visit to note for #Jaguars: UCLA OLB Anthony Barr will be there tomorrow in Jacksonville, same as Carr.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 8, 2014
Sammy Watkins has been talked about as a potential option with the third overall selection, so seeing him visit isn’t too much of a shock .Guys like Mike Evans and Anthony Barr aren’t really considered top 5 picks however, but it seems like Caldwell wants to expand his knowledge on these players in case they trade down.
Also coming to Jacksonville for a visit is former Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron.
Alabama QB A.J. McCarron visiting #Jaguars tomorrow.
— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) April 9, 2014
While McCarron won a lot of games in his time at Alabama, I’m not really thrilled about his projection to the NFL. He was surrounded by a lot of talent in Tuscaloosa and never really had to step outside his comfort zone. He doesn’t have any elite traits and likely won’t ever be more than a solid backup at best.
It appears David Caldwell has a fairly straightforward plan with these visits:
- Meet with all the quarterbacks to determine if any are worth a selection, and if so which round would make sense
- Meet with all the top 10 or 15 prospects in the event no QB is worth the 3rd overall pick
The best shot at getting a franchise-altering player is in the first round, and Caldwell seems to agree with that sentiment given the personal meetings he’s lined up.
-Daniel Lago
Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89