“NFL Mocks” Grades Jaguars 2013 Draft Class
By Luke Sims
October 20, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive back Josh Evans (9) reacts after they beat the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 44-11. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL Draft is just a couple weeks old but attention has moved past it to rookie minicamps, offseason speculation, and coach speak. For draft specific sites like NFL Mocks, the draft analysis never ends. On Tuesday they put together their analysis of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ draft. Let’s take a peek at how the Jags did.
- Luke Joeckel: A+
- Johnathan Cyprien: A-
- Dwayne Gratz: B+
- Ace Sanders: B+
- Denard Robinson: A-
- Josh Evans: C+
- Jeremy Harris: C+
- Demetrius McCray: C
- Overall: A-
Some websites seem torn about whether the Jaguars’ first round selection of Joeckel was a smart one or not, but NFL Mocks agrees with the Jacksonville front office that the move was wise. In fact, writer Justin Bales notes that Joeckel may not have had the desired strength as a left tackle in his first year.
Grading the other players seems pretty straightforward. Cyprien is a first round talent, fills a need, and will be a leader and immediate starter on defense. Gratz will likely be the same. It’s tough to grade Sanders, Harris, and McCray much differently unless you factor in that most players drafted in the mid and late rounds are likely not going to have a major impact early in their careers.
The oddest grades and analysis from Bales are Robinson with an A- and Evans with a C+. Without a real position in the NFL it makes sense to see a pick like Robinson, no matter how exciting he will be, fall to a B level grade. Bales is really high on Robinson, calling him a “freak of nature” and has elite speed. His athleticism isn’t in question, but whether he can hone his skills at a position is.
Evans is a bit of a question mark, but not because he was a sixth round selection. He had a strong collegiate career at the University of Florida and was overlooked by many because of the excellent play of first-round selection, and fellow safety, Matt Elam. Bales’ beef with Evans was that he didn’t work his way through blocks all the time. I think we’ll see Evans surprise some people and make justifying a C+ much more difficult when analysts look back at the 2013 NFL Draft.
– Luke N. Sims
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