2013 NFL Draft: Top Candidates Werner, Moore, Jones
By Luke Sims
There’s nothing like having the second pick in an NFL draft that does not feature consensus top five players. Do you gamble and address the offensive line needs early? Do you gamble even more and take a quarterback immediately? What about fixing that atrocious defensive line? Yes, you say? Well who do you pick to do that?
There seem to be three top candidates for the Jaguars at the second overall pick. They are: Bjoern Wener, Damontre Moore, and Jarvis Jones. All three offer a lot of upside, but none of them are the definitive favorite. The the Lord for the 2013 Combine, because until then this field will always be tight. Heck, even then it may be tight.
Until then we have the statistics of their college careers to look at.
NameCollege# of YearsTacklesTackles for LossSacksInterceptionsPasses DefensedFumbles RecoveredFumbles ForcedBjoern WernerFlorida State3993523.511823Damontre MooreTexas A&M31974526.51508Jarvis JonesUSC, Georgia316845.5281609
All three of these athletes have had stellar college careers. Whether it is as a distinct pass rusher or as a player that is moved around a lot more in order to be a hat on the ball on almost every play, these players have the ability to impact a team positively almost immediately. So, how do you judge them against each other? Fortunately for me, that job is up to new GM Dave Caldwell.
But, my two cents here, it seems like Werner offers the most upside. All three players are declaring after their junior seasons so they are going to be a much more raw talent, but Werner is the most raw by far. The kid from Germany started playing football at just age 15. His time on the gridiron is more limited than his counterparts, yet his production is massive. He is obviously still learning, but it seems like his growth is exponential. His 23.5 sacks is just lower than Moore or Jones and his 18 passes defensed are considerably higher. If the Jaguars are looking for a pass rushing specialist, then Werner knows how to get to the quarterback and how to stop the play even when he can’t get to him.
Of course this will all be up to Caldwell. Maybe he wants someone with more versatility, like Jones. Maybe the team decides to move to a 3-4 and Star Lotulelei becomes the top candidate. There are still a lot of variables that need to come into play. For now, though, it’s looking like one of these three will be in Black and Teal next season.
– Luke N. Sims
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