The Jacksonville Jaguars Draft History and Comments : 2001 NFL Draft Pt. 1
The Jacksonville Jaguars Draft History and Comments : 2001 NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
In the eighth article in “The Jacksonville Jaguars Draft History and Comments” series, we will continue to review a particular years Jaguar draft class, until we have reviewed all 19 of their drafts. Today we will focus on 2001. We have previously examined:
- The 1995 Expansion Draft
- The 1995 NFL Draft pt 1
- The 1995 NFL Draft pt 2
- The 1996 NFL Draft
- The 1997 NFL Draft
- The 1998 NFL Draft
- The 1999 NFL Draft
- The 2000 NFL Draft
The Jaguars came back to earth with a 7-9 record, their first losing record since the expansion year. This earned the Jags the 13th pick in the 2000 Draft. After the season the Jags just had, I’m sure they went into the draft with the philosophy that they were only one year removed from a 14-2 season and there was no need to panic. The Jags, because of compensatory bonuses, had 10 draft picks. I will go over each selection and say something concerning the player, if deserving. I will also bring up any missed opportunity where the Jags, with hindsight on my side, could have made a better selection. I will also bring up anything interesting related to the draft…Jaguar or not. As Mr Marvin Gaye once famously sang…”Let’s get it on…”
Round One/Pick #13 – Marcus Stroud, DT, Georgia – This was the best 1st round pick by the Jags since Fred Taylor in ’98. Some would argue the Jags drafted the best defensive player in their franchise history. Played 7 years in Jacksonville & 11 years overall. Listen to these career stats: 424 tackles, 29.5 sacks, 39 passes defended, 8 forced fumbles, and 6 recovered. AWESOME! Other neat things include his being great in the community, the first and only Jaguar voted to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team three years in a row, and did I mention he’s a BULLDAWG. Damn great player! Would I have picked different? – Absolutely not. And that says a ton because available were Santana Moss, Steve Hutchinson, Casey Hampton, Reggie Wayne, Drew Brees, & Chad Johnson.
Further info – 17 of the 31 first round picks ended up a Pro Bowl player, a ridiculous 55%. Though one of the better first rounds in NFL history, only one pick (#1 Michael Vick) was a QB. It is remotely possible that 5 players (LaDainian Tomlinson, Richard Seymour, Steve Hutchinson, Casey Hampton, & Reggie Wayne) could end up in the Hall of Fame. Santana Moss & Justin Smith isn’t far off either.
Round Two/Pick #43 – Maurice Williams , OT, Michigan – MEH…Nice size and weight. Had to start preparing for the future. Played 9 years for the Jags. But still…Never really peaked at OT, spent a lot of his time at OG. Therefore you took a OG with the 43th overall pick. That is a miss. But at least he helped on the line for that long. Would I have picked different? – Yes. Where do I start? I’ll take DT Kris Jenkins (#44), DE Aaron Schobel (#46), OT Matt Light (#48), WR Chris Chambers (#52), & DT Shaun Rogers (#61). Those 5 players alone represent 13 Pro Bowl appearances. I also would have considered 3 others drafted after Williams. Translation – Overall a BAD pick.
Further info – Three QBs were selected in the 2nd round. One could be in the HOF one day (Drew Brees). Drew had some tough years to start out at San Diego. He even lost his job at one point to the fabulous munchkin Doug Flutie. Then all of a sudden something clicked and Drew Brees has been one of the consistently best QBs in the NFL, for both the Chargers and then for the Saints. Entering his 14th season, he is a Super Bowl winner and still playing at a high level. The second one (Quincy Carter) is a good example of how addiction can derail a promising career. Criticized roundly by critics as not being worthy of his draft selection position, Quincy proceeded to win the starting job for the Cowboys and win some big games. The future looked bright. Then he was released by the Cowboys without explanation. It turned out that Quincy had just failed a third drug test and was going to be suspended. Quincy played well for the Jets but couldn’t walk away from his issues. He was out of the league after 5 years and has played in the CFL & Arena leagues since. It’s too bad, because Quincy played 38 career NFL games and was responsible for 35 TDs passing & running. That shocked me. The last one (Marques Tuiasosopo) has to be looked at as a failure. Played a surprising eight years in the league. He only saw action in 13 career games and finished with a dismal 48.1 QB rating. That’s not good.
Round Three/Pick #73 –Eric Westmoreland, OLB, Tennessee – Played 4 years, putting up 78 tackles, an INT, & 2 sacks. Not third round productivity. Poor choice. Would I have picked different? – Damn Straight! You don’t have to go far…The next pick, (#74) by the Panthers was WR Steve Smith. Fantastic career!
Round Three/Pick #94 – James Boyd, SS, Penn State – Two years…14 tackles, NO INTs, & 2 passes defended…Then never played another NFL down. The stellar first round pick is just a memory by now. Getting that pain in the pit of my stomach that I’ve gotten from every Jags draft since 1997! Would I have picked different? – I couldn’t do any worse. CB Anthony Henry was selected #97 by the Browns. Played 9 years, 508 tackles, 31 INTs, and 2 sacks.
Further Info – No QBs taken in the third. Nothing else exciting. Let’s move on.
NO FOURTH ROUND PICK FOR THE JAGS
Further Info on round 4 – Qbs came back with 3 selected. Chris Weinke (Mostly backup/Compiled a 3-17 record as a starter!) , Sage Rosenfels (Sneaky good QB/Retired after playing in the NFL 12 years with a QB rating of 81.2), & Jesse Palmer (UM…He was “The Bachelor” in 2004?!?). Interesting – Starting with the first selection in the 4th round, three players from (at that time a Division 2A squad) University of South Florida. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen three players selected from the same school in a row before this or since. Pretty cool.
I’ll finish the Jacksonville Jaguars Draft History and Comments : 2001 NFL Draft, starting from the fifth round, on Pt. 2. See ya then!
Amatuer Draft Analyst——> Michael McDonald.
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