The Jacksonville Jaguars Draft History and Comments : 2001 NFL Draft Pt. 2
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
In the ninth article in “The Jacksonville Jaguars Draft History and Comments” series, we will continue to review a particular Jaguar draft class, until we have reviewed all 19 of their drafts. Today we will finish up 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 2001 NFL Draft pt 1
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. We are now starting the 5th round. As Mr Marvin Gaye once famously sang…”Let’s get it on…”
Round Five/Pick #142 – David Leaverton, P, Tennessee – Same story. Different year. Jags draft a player who not only doesn’t make the squad, but doesn’t warrant attention from any other team. This player has no statistical data. A 7th rounder, this can happen with. A 5th rounder? UNACCEPTABLE! Would I have picked different? – I sure as hell hope so! CB Jerametrius Butler (#145) was selected by the Rams. He went on to a 8 year career accumulating 191 tackles, 24 passes defended & 9 INTs for his career. Nothing dazzling, but better than a NOBODY.
Further Info – 2 QB’s were selected in the 5th round. Mike McMahon (#149) to the Lions. Didn’t accomplish much in the NFL. Shockingly still playing in the Arena Football League as late as 2013. The Eagles selected A.J. Feeley (#155) to backup Donovan McNabb. Feeley was met with some success that would eventually lead to him being traded to the Dolphins to be a starter, only to lose the job via bad play. Feeley began to be known as a perfect backup because if your starter went down, he could come in and win a game when needed. He was also very frustrating because everytime he was given a chance to start and cement the role, he would fail miserably.
Round Six/Pick #170 – Chad Ward, OG, Washington – Another player who never played a down in an NFL game. Same damn story with Jags picks in this era….Oh there was a difference with this one. The Jags was SO ENAMORED by this player who was cut before the season started that they TRADED THEIR 5TH ROUND PICK IN 2002 FOR HIM!!! Would I have picked different? – ANYBODY WOULD!!! Out of the 43 picks made before the Jags’ next pick, I would have taken 10 over Ward. That’s how bad the Ward pick was. The best one would be a WR taken by the Bengals (#204), Mr. T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Further Info – Round six saw two QBs selected. Neither made any waves in the NFL so I’m not going to waste your time.
Round Seven/Pick #213 – Anthony Denman, OLB, Notre Dame – He played two seasons (none with the Jags), making a whopping 23 tackles with no other stats. And then he was gone. These picks made since the first round have been absolutely unforgivable. Would I have picked different? – Blah, Blah, BLAH!!! Same pick. Different year. Same result. Michael McDonald gets more sick. I would have taken Eric Johnson, selected #224 by the 49ers. His career was mixed, Usually a good year followed by Year lost to injury. No…I want him so maybe I could spend some quality time with his wife, Jessica Simpson. See if she still thinks there’s chicken in Chicken of the Sea!
Round Seven/Pick #233 – Marlon McCree, SS, Kentucky – What was with the Jags?!? It’s like clockwork the last couple of years. Draft a good first rounder, pick nothing but stiffs round 2 through 6, and then shock with a surprisingly strong player in the 7th. It makes no sense. Possibly dumb luck. McCree came in and earned the starting position during the preseason. He ended up playing only 2 years with the Jags, but played 9 years overall. He finished with 419 tackles, 16 INTs and 3 QB sacks. Would I have picked different? – Nope. The Jags picked again 2 picks later. I prefer Mccree to Joe Tafoya.
Round Seven/Pick #235 – Richmond Flowers III , WR, Tennessee/Chattanooga – And now we’re back…Dumb pick. No NFL stats. Would I have picked different? – I’ve had to do this too many times this draft. It would be impossible to NOT pick someone better.
Round Seven/Pick #241 – Randy Chevrier, DT, McGill – Never played for the Jags. Went to two other team’s practice squads before he went and played a couple of years in the CFL. Another Jaguar draft pick that never played a NFL down. Thank GOD this draft is over!!! Would I have picked different? – DT Terdell Sands (#243) to the Chiefs who had a successful career. More than I can say about most of the Jags picks.
Further Info – No QBs were selected in the 7th round. That means 11 QBs were selected all together. A few successful UFAs – PK Jay Feely, RB Kenny Watson, CB Nick Harper, LB Antonio Pierce, PK Rob Bironas, RB Dominic Rhodes, & SS Brian Russell.
2001 Draft Summary and Grade – Round 1 (A+) / Round 2 (C+) / Round 3 (D+) / Round 4 – The Jags lost this pick via a trade with the Chiefs for OG Brenden Stai. What’s frustrating is that the trade was a conditional 5th round pick, but because the Jags played Stai all 16 games, of a losing season, it upgraded to a 4th rounder. Stai ending up leaving via free agency at the end of the season. That is just HORRIBLE team management. Because of that, I give the fourth round a (F-) / Round 5 (F) / Round 6 – I wish there was a grade lower than F-…like a G or H, but I will settle for a (F-) / Round 7 (C-). Totaling their entire draft, the Jaguars’ 2001 NFL draft scored a (D+). That score is typical of the Tom Coughlin drafts. I don’t know if it was bad scouting, or bad advisers. Maybe it was all on Tom. I don’t know but it is the reason that the Jags stopped being a perennial power team in the NFL. It definitely eventually cost Tom his job. I will be back soon with the 2002 draft.
By the way. In case you are reading these articles late, please go back to the beginning. See how fresh and optimistic I was. I was excited to go back and see how a franchise was build that at one time competed for a world championship. Instead I have been dropped into a nightmare that I can’t wake up from. The Jaguars, my favorite NFL team of all time, was mismanaged. From the very beginning, I believe the draft and scouting process was not respected. we all know the draft game is a crap shoot. But the Jags have missed on so many of their draft picks. Most drafts in their history, they have been the golf who “Drives for show” by can’t putt for dough. Great first rounder, followed by numerous misses that caused the team to never reload…never have any depth. We paid for this mismanagement for the 2000’s. We are still paying for it now being that the Jags have become a national punchline for futility. So please don’t get angry that I have gotten a little snarky while reviewing these drafts. A lot of it is because I’m mad at myself. I walked around with rose colored glasses while my team was rotting from the inside out. I’m hoping that when the Coughlin era ends that “The Devil” Gene Smith‘s drafts might make me a little less angry. Stick with it, no matter how down I get. I will never stop lovin’ my JAGS!!!
See ya in 2002!
Michael Mcdonald.
Follow me on Twitter @gumbussy. I’ll be your huckleberry.