By focusing so much energy and time on drafting small-school players, the Jags miss out on star power that can motivate the fan base and sell tickets.

Owner Shahid Khan wants to get rid of the tarps at Everbank Field.  He is desperate enough to attempt hiring Tim Tebow to do it.

But there’s an easier (and less costly) solution: focus on grabbing stars in college.

Looking Good Mr. Big School. Source: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

As has been pointed out by many writers on Black and Teal, the Jags don’t go after big name prospects often.  Blaine Gabbert out of Mizzou is about as big as they come for the Jags.  Sure he had a good go of it in college, but even he wasn’t the true “star” the Jags really needed.  Nabbing a franchise quarterback is a good way to sell tickets solely because the fans want a new quarterback, but unless he’s the next sure thing out of USC he isn’t going to be bringing in new fans.

I’m not saying the Jags should focus on players like Jamarcus Russell who are complete aberrations, but rather focus on some Big-Ten and Big-12 type  players that guarantee people are interested in the Jaguars for who they’re bringing into the team.

Sure, QB Ricky Stanzi (whom I loved before the 2011 draft) isn’t selling a ton of Chiefs jerseys, but I guarantee the Chiefs gained a lot of fans in the Iowa region for grabbing their wining quarterback.  And some of those fans may just travel a few states south for a game every once in a while.

A couple Rose Bowls give you a bit of attention. Source: Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE

Similarly, players like C Peter Konz from Wisconsin and TE Coby Fleener from Stanford have big spotlights on them from their home states.  The Jags may not steal a ton of Wisconsin fans with the Packers being the best aerial show outside of the Red Bull runs, but some people may go “Konz was pretty damn good, I wonder how he’s doing down in Jacksonville…” and flip the channel or pop in for a game on vacation (seriously, it gets cold in that upper Midwest) down in Florida.

I’m not saying Quinton Coples is the answer just because he’s a popular player.  I’m not saying every Tim Tebow that’s available should be drafted.  But maybe, just maybe the Jags should focus on bringing in some more talent from big name schools.  Schools whose players are practically celebrities.  As much as I love OG/T Charles Burton from my alma mater, he won’t be selling tickets for the Jags.

If the Jaguars are serious about running the team more like a successful franchise, that means they need to start focusing on ways to bring the eyes of the nation to Jacksonville.  A good way to do that is winning.  But an easier way is to take the players who already have eyes on them and bring them to Jacksonville.

I’m telling you, the fans will follow.

- Luke N. Sims

WikiMedia.org

Lot’s of people, including our own Luke Sims, like to pick out certain players for the Jaguars to get in every round after they do their first round mock. His can be found here.

The first BlackAndTeal mock was done by “The Linebacker” as part of his “Love it or Hate it…” series and can be found here.

So, with my mock releasing later tonight (after more dreaded film work), I thought I’d release an ideal pick for our beloved Jaguars in every round. Now, keep in mind that my first round pick might be different here than in the mock. It all depends on who is available. I’m not accounting for trades, mock drafts are enough speculation on their own.

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Image Source: Saturday Down South

In this article, I’ll list my new order on what I consider to be the top prospects. This will be my final ranking of the quarterbacks. I have exhausted this avenue and I hope that you have learned a lot. At the least, I’m hoping to have provided a slightly different perspective on the quarterbacks of the 2011 NFL Draft. So, take a peek and leave a comment. When I do the player comparisons, this does by no means guarantee that they will be that player or that they won’t be. They just have some traits of the player mentioned in order to help you imagine how they are. It’s exaggerated. They’ll be their own player.

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