Jacksonville Jaguars player profile: Welcome to Sacksonville Josh Allen
The Jacksonville Jaguars won big on the first night of the NFL Draft, here is the Jaguars newest big name edge rusher Josh Allen.
With all of the chaos happening last night the Jacksonville Jaguars may have reeled in the biggest fish of the night when edge rusher Josh Allen fell right into the lap of what is already one of the most feared defenses in the NFL.
Let’s take a look at Josh Allen and break down why the Jaguars decided to skip other more pressing needs and select one of college football’s most feared edge rushers last season.
About Josh Allen: Josh Allen came into this draft as one of the most highly talked about prospects in the entire NFL Draft. He was second in the the FBS with 17 sacks last season. He gave Kentucky’s defense a spark last season and led them to success they rarely see. Some scouts even believed he was the best player in the entire draft. Here is what Allen brings to the table.
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Depth: The Jaguars lack serious depth at the edge, the defensive line has two excellent pass rushers in Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell, but behind those two the Jaguars really don’t have much to offer.
Dawuane Smoot and Lerentee Macray are two backup edge rushers and Taven Bryan also could serve that role but he looked more comfortable as a interior defensive lineman. Josh Allen will allow for starters to rest and will provide a consent force off of the edge.
Versatility: Not only is Allen one of the most versatile players in the draft, possessing the ability to drop back into coverage as well as provide an excellent pass rush, he also brings more versatility to the Jaguars defensive front.
Much like when Dante Fowler was used, Jacksonville now has the option to move Campbell to a defensive tackle position and put Allen on the edge. This kind of versatility will cause headaches for opposing offensive lineman and offensive coordinators. Jacksonville truly could do whatever they wanted in the front seven.
Work Ethic: Josh Allen could have declared for the NFL Draft a year earlier. For some a young player with athletic ability who had two consecutive seven sack seasons might be enough to declare for the draft.
Not Allen.
He put work in during the offseason, got in the gym, and added muscle. He didn’t feel like he accomplished enough and he worked on his craft of getting to the quarterback. He bet on himself and it payed off big.
Negatives: Honestly, there are very few negatives when looking at this pick. The only one really worthy of note is that the Jaguars didn’t draft an offensive playmaker, but going into the other rounds there are still plenty left on the board.
Next. Best players available to the Jaguars in Rounds 2 and 3. dark
Jacksonville stated already that they would take the best player available, and that’s exactly what they did. Smart decision.
Final Grade: Round 1: A+