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Is Joey Bosa in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ future?

By Luke Sims

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Joey Bosa is a terrific collegiate player for The Ohio State University. He’s bound to be a top draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and he’s going to be influential for whoever drafts him.

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars be that team?

Jonah Tuls over at NFL Mocks thinks that the Jacksonville Jaguars will be the team to draft Joey Bosa. He even believes it will be with the first overall pick! (really?)

Here’s what Tuls had to say about the possible selection:

"The Jacksonville Jaguars have a lot of needs that they need to fill, but at the end of the day, the number one pick should always be taken on a guaranteed player that will give production. I’m not sure there is a safer bet in the 2016 NFL Draft than with Joey Bosa. That simple. Not only will he fit well with Gus Bradley’s defense as their right defensive end, but will also provide immediate production as a force in both run support and pass rush. Do not be surprised if a trade happens here as someone will want to trade up for this generational talent."

While I don’t believe that any player is a guarantee (you need only look at Robert Griffin III’s spectacular decline from a Pro Bowl QB to backup to see why) no matter how good they are in college, the Jaguars should be at a point entering the 2016 NFL Draft that they can select whoever they desire.

For general manager Dave Caldwell, that means taking the best player available. He was more than happy to finally be able to implement this strategy in his third draft this year, selecting players like defensive tackle Michael Bennett based on how good they were – regardless of position – in comparison to other players left on the board.

Is Joey Bosa the definitive best player available? That’s questionable. And whether the Jaguars need another pass rusher with injured rookie Dante Fowler Jr. coming into his first season for 2016 will be another question to ponder. A suspension doesn’t make Bosa’s case any easier.

But at the end of the day, there will be plenty of high quality players at the top of the 2016 NFL Draft. As we saw in the 2015 NFL Draft with Leonard Williams’ slide, the best player does not always go first overall.

Speaking of which, why does Tuls have the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting first overall!?

With the Jags anticipated to improve by pretty much everyone in the NFL world, it appears highly unlikely that the team will finish with such a terrible record that they will have the first overall pick. In fact, I’d be shocked if they were in the top-five.

There are plenty of quality players waiting in the wings at the collegiate level and the Jaguars would be incredibly blessed to pair a guy like Joey Bosa with a major threat like Fowler, but at this point it is too early to tell if he really is head and shoulders better than his competition.

If the Jaguars draft another defensive end, they don’t want a safe bet. They want a home run.

Next: Are the Jacksonville Jaguars eyeing a cornerback in 2016?

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