5 reasons for Jaguars fans to be optimistic in 2021

3. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ O-Line will be better because of a rookie.

The Jaguars optioned to use the franchise tag this offseason on left tackle Cam Robinson instead of dealing for Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown, who was on the trade block before this year’s draft. They also passed up Trent Brown and Trent Williams in free agency despite having the ability to provide a blank check due to the Jags’ massive cap space.

So why did the Jags kept Robinson? Urban Meyer stressed the idea that the Alabama product could still develop into a quality left tackle. That stamp of approval should bring Jaguars fans a sense of peace regarding that position.

However, there’s the genuine possibility that Robinson or Jawaan Taylor may not develop into legitimate starting NFL tackles. Fortunately for this Jacksonville team, they stumbled upon a potential diamond in the rough in the 2021 NFL Draft: Walker Little.

The Stanford product has not played a down of football since Week 1 of the 2019 college football season. Little suffered a knee injury that would end his junior campaign prematurely. A year later, he decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, his opt-out seemed to hurt his draft stock tremendously. While the Texas native was once regarded as a potential first-round pick, the Jaguars nabbed him in the second round of the selection meeting.

Now that Little is entirely healthy and fresh after almost two years off from football, he is ready to take his play to the next level. Robinson and Taylor know that as well, so there’s a good chance they will up their play on the field to keep their jobs. After all, competition typically brings out the best in everyone.