Jacksonville Jaguars Power Rankings: Fowler Injury Makes Impact

The Jacksonville Jaguars continued their unusual streak of bad luck with first round picks this past weekend, when 3rd overall pick Dante Fowler Jr. tore his ACL barely an hour into his first practice with the team. Rookie mini-camp took several young players victim over the last few days, but the Jaguars were hit the hardest. We’ve talked about how Fowler’s injury will affect the Jaguars in many respects on the field, but his absence this season is already having an impact on the all-meaningful power rankings.

Erik Lambert over at NFL Mocks came out with his power rankings post-draft, and he moved the Jaguars down to the very bottom.

"32. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARSThe loss of Dante Fowler Jr. after one practice is a really tough pill to swallow for a team that appeared ready to take that next step towards relevance. Now the burden falls even more heavily on second-year quarterback Blake Bortles. He should have more help this year given their additions from free agency and the draft, but until the former #3 pick starts to show more consistency, this team will remain a sideshow."

It’s odd to say the Jaguars were close to “relevance” and then make the point that Fowler’s injury now makes them irrelevant. Fowler is a rookie who likely would have taken a little bit of time to adjust. Yes, Fowler is exactly what the Jaguars needed in terms of a consistent edge rusher, but the Jaguars added other elements on the defensive line (Jared Odrick, Michael Bennett), who should alleviate some of the pain from losing Fowler.

A cursory glance at their roster makes it clear that the Jaguars are not the worst team in the NFL. We might have to wait until the regular season starts to see that perception change.

Next: Michael Bennett Among Top 10 Draft Steals

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