Jacksonville Jaguars 2014 NFL Draft: 2nd Round Scenarios

There’s still a lot of time left until the 2014 NFL Draft, so members of the media are finding more creative ways to assemble mock drafts. A tweet this morning by Gene Frenette from the Florida Times-Union got me thinking about some of the scenarios the Jacksonville Jaguars might find themselves in come May. He participated in a live draft, and he ended up selecting Sammy Watkins.

The way things are shaking up so far, it looks like the Jaguars will do one of 4 things in the first round:

1. Draft Jadeveon Clowney/Khalil Mack
2. Draft Sammy Watkins
3. Draft the top QB on the board
4. Trade down

I think scenario 4 is kind of a longshot, but it’s still possible. What the Jaguars do in the first round will dictate how they approach the second round. Here’s how each scenario laid out above affects the second round.

Draft Jadeveon Clowney/Khalil Mack

If the Jaguars address the pass rush in the first round, they probably won’t dip into that pool again until the later rounds and maybe pick up an athletic/upside guy. The Jaguars could go one of many directions, but I think there will be some value as far as offensive lineman and wide receiver. The Jaguars could try and find their starting right guard, or maybe a receiver to pair across Cecil Shorts. Outside linebacker is another area of need that could be addressed here.

Draft Sammy Watkins

Watkins is almost unanimously considered the top receiver in this class, so getting him at 3 probably rules out getting another one in the first two days. The Jaguars would still need help at pass rusher, and there might be some good linebacker/LEO candidates available at the top of the second round. Guard would also still be an option in this scenario.

Draft the top QB on the board

I’m still holding firm to my belief that the Jaguars should take Teddy Bridgewater if he is available at number 3 regardless of who else is still on the board. If the Jaguars pass on a quarterback at number 3, there are 11 possible landing spots (draft selections) for a QB before they pick again in round 2. There will be too many talented players still available in the second round to reach for a QB, so I really can’t imagine a scenario where quarterback will present good value at that spot. Ideally, I see Caldwell grabbing Teddy at number 3 and looking for a linebacker or receiver in the second round.

Trade down

Trading down is a huge wild card, and it would really change the approach to the first few rounds depending on the yield. If they trade too far down they could miss out on one of the elite prospects (Mack/Clowney/Teddy/Watkins),  but they will have more selections in a really deep class.

It’s tough to try and predict what might happen in the 39th pick of a draft, but there are a handful of interesting scenarios to consider.

-Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89