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Jacksonville Jaguars drop a spot in Power Rankings after NFL Draft

By Daniel Lago

FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 21: Blake Bortles #5 of the Jacksonville Jaguars huddles with teammates in the second quarter during the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 21: Blake Bortles #5 of the Jacksonville Jaguars huddles with teammates in the second quarter during the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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After bolstering the defense and adding a playmaker on offense, the Jaguars look improved thanks to a nice draft class – will it help them in the rankings?

The Jacksonville Jaguars were a few minutes away from the Super Bowl in 2017, but their improbable postseason run ended at the hands of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Stacked with talent on defense, the Jaguars appear to be contenders again heading into 2018 despite concerns about the quarterback position.

One analyst who has remained high on the Jaguars all offseason resides at NFL Network.

Elliott Harrison over at NFL.com released his post-draft power rankings and he actually dropped the Jaguars one spot:

"4. Jacksonville JaguarsIgnore the tiny fall. The Rams’ jump nudged the Patriots and Jags one spot down. Although it’s surprising that more league observers aren’t talking about Jacksonville eschewing quarterback until the tail end of the sixth round, when Tanner Lee was selected (No. 203). Faith in Blake Bortles is riding high, apparently — which is fine, provided he can progress off his performance in the playoffs (versus the Steelers and Patriots … not the Bills). Setting aside the question mark that is always brought up with these guys, the Jaguars enjoyed what looks to be a fine draft haul. With DT Taven Bryan (Round 1, No. 29) now on board, that Jacksonville defensive-line rotation will be able to mix it up with any O-line in the league."

Harrison had the Jaguars as the number 3 team earlier this offseason, but he decided to let the Rams jump them after the LA team made numerous splashy acquisitions.

Overall, I still think the Jaguars are the better team but again that all depends on your opinion of Blake Bortles. I think Blake has the chance to take another step forward this year and help this team ascend even further.

If you think Blake is an awful quarterback, then odds are you don’t have high hopes for the Jaguars overall.

Harrison discusses Bortles (as is required with pieces like this), but he also mentions the Jaguars having a nice draft. It’ll be interesting to see how many immediate impact guys emerge from this class, but the Jaguars managed to get a nice mix of value and developmental potential with their picks.

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