Jacksonville Jaguars Draft Prospects Post Senior Bowl Edition

The Senior Bowl took place last week in Mobile, AL. The outcome of the game itself is of little importance in comparison to the week of practice leading up to the all star contest. Some players really helped themselves. Some players did otherwise.

Did the No. 2 overall pick practice and play last week? I don’t believe so, but this draft is looking more and more like the kind of draft in which you trade down and stock pile picks. The trenches on both sides of the ball in Jacksonville need serious rebuilding, and with the way some of these linemen look, the Jaguars may be in luck.

In this post I will briefly brush up on the prospects who really stood out last week.

OT Eric Fisher of Central Michigan was a brick wall all week and in the actual game as well. He was a man among boys and man handled some of the best DEs in college football. Could he challenge Luke Joeckel as the best tackle in the draft?

DE Ezekiel Ansah

had a lot of hype around him. He hasn’t played much football and didn’t show up that much in practices. It was a different story when the 2nd half of the game began as he wreaked havoc. He’s a raw prospect that a team will fall in love with. I’m looking forward to his combine.

Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-USA TODAY Sports

CB Robert Alford from Southeastern Louisiana had a good week of practice, but it was his 88 yard kickoff return that stuck out. The Jaguars return game troubles have been well documented and Alford could be a player who could help immediately in that area.

S Jonathan Cyprien of Florida International is a prospect that got a lot of love last week. He can play the run. He can cover receivers, backs, and tight ends. Dave Caldwell says we’ll be a needs based drafting team. Well…we need a safety. Could Cyprien be that safety?

DT Kawaan Short of Purdue would be a gem in the middle of the defensive line. He looks like an athletic big man who can push the pocket. He’s averaged 6.5 sacks for Purdue over the last three seasons.

OG Larry Warford of Kentucky had a solid week of practice and moves pretty well for a big man. His stock is steadily rising, and after witnessing the rotating doors that were the interior of our offensive line this year, getting Warford in the 3rd would be a steal. Something tells me he’ll be gone by then.

The quarterbacks were OK. EJ Manuel helped boost his stock with one rushing TD and one passing TD, Tyler Wilson wasn’t bad, and Landry Jones should probably find another job altogether. The two most popular QBs in this year’s draft (Geno Smith and Matt Barkley) didn’t participate.

What kind of post would this be without talking about the quarterback position? As of now we have to draft a young prospect at the position. I don’t believe there’s anyone worth getting in the top 10 or even the top 20 for that matter, but maybe we could draft an EJ Manuel type to bring along and groom, provide competition, and push Gabbert.

Many want the Jaguars to find a QB in this draft. I was one of those people, but as time goes by and as the combine draws nearer, we don’t need to have any kind of knee jerk reactions. We’ve taken our time in finding our new GM. We’ve taken our time in finding our new HC. We’ve taken our time finding our OC, DC, and positions coaches.

What I’m getting at is that one can’t simply wish a franchise QB into existence. What we have is what we have. We can add through free agency (PLEEEEEEASE, ALEX SMITH), draft a young prospect, throw them into the mix with Gabbert and Henne and see what sticks.

Either way, even if we don’t get that next explosive young quarterback, there are players in this draft just like any other draft that can immediately help this team. Counting the days to the combine…

-David R. Johns

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