Jalen Ramsey was the right pick

The Jacksonville Jaguars stayed put and decided to bring in a defensive playmaker. Did they make the right move?

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Heading into draft week, 3 names dominated the discussion surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars and the 5th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft – Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, and UCLA linebacker Myles Jack. With Bosa shockingly coming off the board at number 3 to the San Diego Chargers, the Jaguars were at the mercy of the Dallas Cowboys at the 4th overall pick. Thankfully, the Cowboys took the unorthodox route and selected Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, leaving the Jaguars their choice of Jack or Ramsey.

At that point, it was a no-brainer. Ramsey and Jack have similarly high grades, but Ramsey has no questions about the long term viability of his knees.

Trading down might have been an option, but instead the Jaguars stood pat and selected Jalen Ramsey.

This was the right move. Before the draft started, I was certain the Jaguars would draft either Joey Bosa or Jalen Ramsey. Those plans took an unfortunate turn when the Chargers took Bosa, so the Jaguars must have been doing backflips when the Cowboys decided to go with Elliott.

Even with the additions the Jaguars made to the secondary this offseason (Tashaun Gipson and Prince Amukamara) the Jaguars needed to find a playmaker in the back end. Ramsey will start and play right away, and quite frankly the position doesn’t matter. He can plug in at strong safety next to Gipson, play outside corner opposite Davon House, kick inside and cover slot receivers, or do all of them throughout the course of the game.

When the draft process started, most thought the Jaguars wouldn’t even have the chance to draft Ramsey. The draft played out in an unexpected way, but the Jaguars still got arguably the most talented player in the entire draft.

For the first night at least, the Jaguars are winners.