Jacksonville Jaguars 2014 NFL Draft: Any Chance of Quarterback at #3?
By Daniel Lago
Dec 31, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) reacts on the sideline against the Duke Blue Devils during the second quarter in the 2013 Chick-fil-a Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
We’ve been tracking mock drafts around the FanSided network and on some other outside sites here on Black and Teal, and the two most popular options over the last week or so for the Jacksonville Jaguars at number 3 have been wide receiver Sammy Watkins and linebacker Khalil Mack.
Conventional wisdom currently is the Jaguars will take whoever is left on the board from Watkins, Mack, or Clowney if he slides. Almost no one thinks the Jaguars will take a quarterback at 3 anymore, but it shouldn’t be completely discounted.
Taking into account the previous stipulation and assuming the Houston Texans will take Clowney, there are 4 possible scenarios the Jaguars could face on May 8th:
- Clowney and Mack are gone.
- Clowney and Watkins are gone.
- Clowney and one of the tackles (Greg Robinson or Jake Matthews) are gone.
- Clowney and a QB are gone.
Scenario 4 is looking less likely everyday, and it seems pretty improbable at this point that Clowney will be available at 3. So what should the Jaguars do in each scenario?
- Clowney and Mack are gone.
Here the Jaguars are choosing between Watkins and probably a quarterback. Personally, barring the ability to trade down, I would settle in and take Teddy Bridgewater. If you have a QB targeted as your guy, don’t risk losing him.
- Clowney and Watkins are gone.
Here the Jaguars are choosing between Mack and a quarterback. As in the previous scenario, I wouldn’t want to risk missing out on my quarterback. Take Bridgewater if you can’t trade down.
- Clowney and one of the tackles (Greg Robinson or Jake Matthews) are gone.
If this happens, there are probably a couple of opportunities available to trade down. Between Watkins and Mack, the Jaguars can probably find a team willing to give up a couple of picks to move to number 3. Don’t move down too far, but get a few more picks before taking one of the top QBs.
- Clowney and a QB are gone.
This seems like the least likely scenario, but it would be tough for the Jaguars. With one QB already gone, I would be apprehensive about trading down. There might be a run on the top quarterbacks early, and I wouldn’t want to miss out on Bridgewater/Manziel/Bortles.
Now that we’ve laid out all the possible scenarios, none of these will happen. Mercifully, the draft is only a week away.
-Daniel Lago
Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89