Jacksonville Jaguars 2016 NFL Draft: Unanimous praise from draft analysts

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Jalen Ramsey (Florida State) is selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the number five overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Jalen Ramsey (Florida State) is selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the number five overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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There’s always one thing you can count on after the NFL Draft – way too early grades. It’s going to be hard to find any for the Jaguars that aren’t extremely positive.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are getting knack for this whole draft thing. General manager

David Caldwell

wasn’t dealt the best hand when he took over in 2013 and had to try and find players in arguably the weakest draft class in the last few decades. Since then, Caldwell has put together three very impressive draft classes and the most recent one should help propel the Jaguars into relevance.

Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack.

Once thought to be two surefire top 5 picks, the two most athletic defensive prospects are now somehow on the same team.This is the kind of good fortune the Jaguars have managed to avoid over the last several years, including when 2015 number 3 overall pick Dante Fowler Jr. tore his ACL  in the first practice of rookie minicamp. Now the Jaguars get Fowler back at full health, along with two more blue chip, young defenders to start the 2016 season.

The rest of the draft class is equally impressive and by now it’s fair to say GM David Caldwell knows how to find talent in the later rounds.

Draft analysts agree, as almost everyone is giving the Jaguars a perfect grade.

Pete Prisco at CBS.com, one of the few national analysts knowledgeable about the Jaguars, couldn’t have had better things to say.

"Analysis: They had to improve the defense and they used six of their seven picks on that side of the ball. That was smart. But they also landed top talent in first pick Jalen Ramseyand Jack. The rest of the board was solid as well.Grade: A+"

He wasn’t the only one, as ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Jaguars the highest grade of any team.

"Jacksonville Jaguars: ATop needs: DE, RB, CB, CRegardless of what the future holds for Myles Jack in terms of health, if he’s anything close to 100 percent for years to come, the Jags will have one of the biggest steals of recent draft history. They got Jalen Ramsey at No. 5 after Dallas took Ezekiel Elliott, and then saw Jack fall all the way into the second round, where they moved up to grab him. That’s two top-5 types in a single draft class. Stay healthy, Myles.Yannick Ngakoue provides pass-rush insurance, and Sheldon Day could have gone much earlier as a disruptive interior player with a great motor. He’ll deepen the rotation. Tyrone Holmes is an unknown, but the value is just fine here. Defense, defense, defense … and hey, they need it. The defense was a trainwreck last year, frankly. I like the addition of Brandon Allen in the sixth round. He was dropped from some boards because of small hands, but he was the best QB in the SEC last year and is a great fit here as a backup. Ultimately, you love the talent Jacksonville added and the value, but they’ve drafted well recently and just haven’t shown the growth on the field. Is this the class that turns the tide?"

I could fill up pages with the high praise – Pro Football Focus, Walter Football, NFL.com, and many more gave the Jaguars A’s and A+’s. Suffice to say, people like what the Jaguars did in this year’s draft.