Senior Bowl players to watch: Shawn Oakman

Shawn Oakman presents and intriguing option for the Jacksonville Jaguars and head coach Gus Bradley has an advantage to observe him as coach at the Senior Bowl.

With Gus Bradley set to coach the Senior Bowl for the third time in a row, the Jaguars will get a great first look at some of the most talented seniors in this year’s NFL Draft.

Throughout his three years coaching in the senior bowl, Bradley has drafted three players from the contest and they all have turned out pretty solid for the Jaguars. Linebacker Telvin Smith and guard Brandon Linder are the first players that come to mind, but Aaron Colvin has clearly emerged as the Jaguars second-best cornerback.

If the past is any indicator for what the Jaguars will do in the future, then it’s safe to say that Jacksonville will draft at least one player from the senior bowl. Over the next couple days, Black and Teal will be reviewing some of the impact players that will be playing on Saturday and the first on the list is Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman.

Shawn Oakman is an absolute freak, he stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs in at 269 pounds but he still has a lot of questions surrounding him. Since arriving at Baylor, Oakman has drawn a lot of attention because of his size but he has never really lived up to his potential. He finished his college career with 17.5 sacks and 46.5 tackles for a loss which seems like a solid stat line but if it wasn’t for some big games against weaker teams, then his numbers would of been way less impressive.

In addition, Oakman’s effort has been questioned several times which is a big red flag but he could be a diamond in the rough that could be worth taking a risk on. If the Jaguars can motivate him, they could be rewarded for taking a risk.

Next: When will the Jaguars be contenders?

Lets move on to the important question, should the Jaguars go after him? It depends on where he falls, if he is still available in the third round then I think he would be worth the risk.

However, I don’t think Oakman is a player that should be drafted any higher than the third round because it seems like he is a project. He likely won’t be able to make an impact immediately because he still has a lot to learn so anything before the third round would be a reach. His performance at this weekend’s senior bowl will greatly influence his draft stock but don’t be surprised if the Jaguars pass on him unless he slides in the draft.

More from Black and Teal

Be on the lookout for more players to watch at the Senior Bowl, coming soon!

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