Could Carradine be the guy? Source: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

If the Jaguars stay at 33, there’s not a lot here that could surprise me as the Jags truly have a number of options with this pick.  I’m personally partial to one of the pass-rushers left, Carradine and Moore, despite the concerns about them.  Carradine might not be a perfect scheme fit in the Gus Bradley defense, but I could see him as a LEO-type player.  Carradine is one of the many JUCO transfers in this draft and has only been a full-time starter for one year with the Seminoles in which he tallied 11 sacks in 12 games.  He did, however, dominate the JUCO-league prior to moving to the ACC, with a 16 sack sophomore season.

On the other hand, Moore is a player with more serious concerns (see what I did there?).  A lack of motivation and maturity, along with perhaps average-at-best athleticism make Moore a riskier pick, despite his experience playing the Joker (LEO-ish) position at Texas A&M.  Who better to know him than the Jaguars’ newest member that played across for him for three years?  Luke Joeckel, your contribution to the Jaguars starts now!

Despite both of those defensive players having the ability to immediately upgrade the Jaguars pass-rush, the front runner for this pick has to be Geno Smith (with Matt Barkley as the potential darkhorse).  He’s a very gifted passer of the football, and in the second round, the issues limiting him as a prospect (eg pocket awareness, deep-ball accuracy, reading coverages) are more palatable.   I feel similarly about Matt Barkley and his weaknesses.  While spending the 33rd pick on one of these quarterbacks may seem risky given how poorly non-first round quarterbacks tend to end up, I can’t imagine any other pick having as much franchise-changing potential as Smith or Barkley.  Hope Caldwell and Bradley planned on staying up late tonight – they’ve got some big decisions to make tomorrow!

- Zain Gowani

In my latest mock draft I had the Jaguars taking Geno Smith with the second overall pick. After his solid pro day performance, where several of the Jaguars’ brass took a thorough look at the prospect, mock drafts around the web started to warm to the idea of Geno in Jax.

SpartaGus came away very impressed after West Virgina’s pro day. Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

SpartaGus came away very impressed after West Virgina’s pro day.

As a well established proponent of new GM David Caldwell picking his franchise quarterback in the first year of his tenure, I am thrilled to see the Jaguars’ sudden heavy interest in the West Virgina prospect. While some people are arguing that this is a terrible year to need a franchise quarterback, I disagree vehemently. Specifically in the position the Jaguars are in, this is a terrific year to have the second pick with a clear cut, number one quarterback prospect.

Thanks to Kansas City’s baffling trade for Alex Smith, they are in no position to use the only pick they have in the first two rounds (2nd rounder went to the 49ers for Smith) on a quarterback. Unless some team trades up to No.1, the Jaguars can take Geno Smith. In that scenario, the Jaguars will almost certainly have their pick of several defenders in the second round who could come in and start immediately.

Injury concerns might allow Tank to “tank” to the Jags in the second round. Sorry guys. Not proud of that one. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Injury concerns might allow Tank to “tank” to the Jags in the second round. Sorry guys. Not proud of that one.

With needs at almost every position on defense (linebacker, cornerback, safety, pass rusher) and a deep defensive class, the Jaguars should be able to draft a solid starter and fill a need. Depending on how the draft plays out, the Jaguars could have their pick of the following players at No.33:

• Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International
• Matt Elam, S, Florida
• Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut
• Jamie Collins, DE/OLB, Southern Miss
• Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• Tank Carradine, DE, Florida State
• Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
• Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

While it’s starting to look more and more unrealistic for some of these players to fall (specifically Arthur Brown and Tank Carradine), there is going to be a really good defensive player on the board in the second round. Optimum Scouting’s scenario where Tank Carradine falls to the second round would have Caldwell salivating at the end of day one.

The Jaguars could potentially take someone like Terron Armstead to play right tackle at No.33, but the Jaguars shouldn’t look at offense at that spot. Why? Because the Jaguars are a lot better off on offense than it might be perceived at the moment.

Despite atrocious quarterback play, the Jaguars got solid and encouraging production out of Justin Blackmon and Cecil Shorts III. Marcedes Lewis had a decent year as well, but the offense sputtered due to lackluster quarterbacking and losing Maurice Jones-Drew. The offensive line play was disappointing last year, but a good quarterback can hide a lot of flaws, particularly on the offensive line. I don’t expect Geno Smith to light it up immediately, but the upgrade from Blaine Gabbert to Smith will certainly improve the offensive line’s performance.

Not all of Gabbert’s sacks were the offensive lines’ fault. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Not all of Gabbert’s sacks were due to the offensive lines.

Last year, the Colts went almost entirely with offensive players in the draft after selecting Andrew Luck. The logic is sound – pick up a bunch of weapons that can grow with your young quarterback. Well, the Jaguars already have two young studs at wide receiver, a solid tight end in his prime, and an aging but still productive running back. The Jags could look at an athletic move tight end like Jordan Reed in the third round or a complementary receiver like Stedman Bailey. Someone like Denard Robinson on the third day would be a great pickup. But in the second round, when there are going to be impact defensive players available, the Jaguars should take their highest rated defender.

- Daniel Lago

First, he has the Jaguars taking their QB of the future, West Virginia QB Geno Smith, with the #2 overall pick.  Whether or not you agree that Geno Smith will become a top flight NFL quarterback, the value of QB in the league right now is such that he must be the pick if you believe he will.  So for argument’s sake, let’s assume Caldwell and co. believe so.

At the front end of round 2, Galko has the Jaguars taking Cornelius “Tank” Carradine, a player who most mock drafts have being taken in the first round.  If you don’t know much about Carradine, I’d advise you to look into him – he was part of the best DE tandem in the country this year with Bjoern Werner at Florida State, and it’s not like he played second fiddle to Werner all year long.  He’s a big, fast DE who looks like a natural fit in a 4-3 defense.  The caveat?  He tore his ACL at the end of last season.  Torn ACL’s don’t mean what they used to nowadays (Hello, Purple Jesus!), but it can be a strength and quickness-sapping injury for most players (Hello, Aaron Kampman…).  He’s not a prototypical LEO, but he is a guy that should be able to wreak havoc with his hand on the ground in a traditional 4-3 set.  The team that’s most likely to pick him is a team that can afford to wait for him to recover fully (aka the bad teams in the NFL).  In all honesty, the Jaguars will likely be in that boat, and I sure wouldn’t mind seeing Carradine as the pick if we hold on to #33.

What is your ideal Jaguars draft scenario?

- Zain Gowani