Can Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive line be among NFL’s best?
By Luke Sims
The Jacksonville Jaguars feature a rebuilt defensive line in 2016 and it could make a push to be among the NFL’s best.
When looking around at offseason NFL rankings you won’t find many Jacksonville Jaguars players very high in many cases. One of these cases is in ranking the defensive lines.
In NFL.com’s recent ranking compiled by Gregg Rosenthal, the Jaguars don’t even place in the top 12. Frankly, there isn’t much that can be argued against Rosenthal’s decision to exclude the Jags. For the most part the Jaguars’ defensive line is completely unproven and will have to show it can compete with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks before they are worthy of being a part of the discussion.
Still, there’s a chance that overlooking the Jaguars will prove to be a glaring omission by the time the 2016 season is all wrapped up.
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With Dante Fowler Jr., Sen’Derrick Marks, Roy Miller, Malik Jackon, and Jared Odrick, the Jaguars have a strong rotation of defensive ends and defensive tackles that is further supplemented by players like Tyson Alualu and Yannick Ngakoue. Those aren’t names that are going to strike fear into the hearts of the average fan, but opposing offensive coordinators know that they do demand a certain level of respect.
Rosenthal addressed this as well, saying:
"Jackson makes the Jacksonville Jaguars’ line one to watch next season. Last year’s No. 3 overall pick Dante Fowlercould give them the edge rusher they desperately need andSen’Derrick Marks is a big factor if healthy."
Perhaps more importantly, Rosenthal addressed why he didn’t include the Denver Broncos on his list of the best defensive lines. The reason? Jackson left town for the Jaguars.
The Jags feature an intriguing group heading into 2016. They aren’t proven yet but they could turn out to be something special. Expect next year’s top defensive line lists to include the Jags.