2015 Jaguars Draft Preview: Round 1
By Luke Sims
Nov 1, 2014; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Kevin White (11) runs with ball after a catch during the first quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Milan Puskar Stadium. TCU Horned Frogs defeated West Virginia Mountaineers 31-30. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Option 2) Draft a Wide Receiver
The Jaguars are looking for a quality wide receiver to add to the corps that already features Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, and Allen Hurns as surging young options. At third overall, the Jaguars are in the position to draft either of the top two receivers in this year’s draft: Alabama’s Amari Cooper and West Virginia’s Kevin White.
The differences between the two of them matter based on what general manager Dave Caldwell wants. Amari Cooper is a talented, polished receiver with a high floor but probably a more limited ceiling. He can come in and run crisp routes and be a reliable receiver among a receiver group that was not very reliable in 2014. Kevin White is a freakish athlete with a ridiculously high ceiling. He became far more consistent during 2014 with West Virginia than in his 2013 season and has continued to impress in his buildup to the draft.
Those differences will have to be weighed heavily by Caldwell. If he opts to take a receiver with the third overall pick, it should be because he believes either Cooper or White to be head and shoulders above their peers at their position and it is a bigger gap than the close group of pass rushers available. Alternatively, Caldwell may hope that a pass rusher like Ray, Gregory, or another highly touted player falls to them at the top of the second. The latter option is less likely than picking up another quality receiver at the top of round two in a draft that has plenty of strong receiving options.
Personally, I don’t think the Jaguars can differentiate between White and Cooper enough to warrant picking one of them over a pass rusher or Leonard Williams. Cooper and White may be great wide receivers, but the Jaguars have many needs to fill and neither of them are the definitive best available player (at their position or otherwise, no matter what Mike Mayock says).
Next: Non-Options and Expectations