While some analysts like what the Jacksonville Jaguars did in the NFL Draft, they've been getting plenty of criticism for going against the norm, taking players before the consensus board projects them to go. Sure, some of the concerns are valid, especially when you take into account that the Jags had yet to prove that their philosophy works.
Having said that, vice president of football operations Tony Boselli is confident in the approach the team took during the draft process.
Tony Boselli is confident about the Jaguars' draft process
Tony Boselli made an appearance on 1010 XL and stated that he isn't paying too much attention to the outside noise, pointing out that the top brass has a clear idea of what they're trying to accomplish.
"I would say, I don't think we really think about the outside perspective, call it the greater football landscape, are thinking about," Boselli said. "Because at the end of the day, Liam [Coen], James [Gladstone], myself, our staff, our scouts, the entire building, it's we're accountable for what we put on the field, the product we put out there, and we are very clear of what we're trying to build."
Boselli continued, "And James does an outstanding job of leading us as an organization, as far as the engineering of the roster and and in what type of player we're looking for, what fits a lot of communication between, obviously, James, Liam, our coaching staff, style play, James Liam, and I, from day one, have stated what it means to be a Jaguar with standard what we're looking for. I mean, all those things go into it, and so in, the reality is the outside world has no idea, right?"
As Boselli stated, it looks like he, James Glastone, and Liam Coen are on the same page, something you couldn't say about the past regime when Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke were the head coach and general manager, respectively.
Boselli goes on to say that if Jacksonville listened to what analysts said, he might as well fire everyone and just draft whatever player the consensus board says.
"So why would, why would we worry, get mad at care what a bunch of draft, quote, unquote experts feel about our draft, or who should pick? If you think, if you just take this out and rationally think about this based on what I've read on X or Twitter, whatever it's called, and heard around the country, like maybe we should just fire everybody and just get the consensus big board, whatever that thing is, top 150 all-knowing system, and just pick guys off that," Boselli stated.
"Like, why do we spend 11 months preparing for the draft? Why do we watch 1000-plus college football games? Why do we have individuals who spend all year spending time in the schools in their hometown? Why do we do any of this? Because obviously, the consensus, guys are sitting in their basement, got all the answers."
Below is Boselli's whole exchange on 1010 XL if you want to listen to it:
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The Jaguars deserve the benefit of the doubt (for now)
As Boselli noted, the Jaguars aren't just pulling names from a hat. They have a detailed process to put together their draft board. Whether their approach works remains to be seen, but there's no doubt that the team's brass went into the process with a deliberate plan.
Sure, you may not like the Nate Boerkircher pick, or perhaps Jacksonville should have waited until Round 4 to address the pass rush. Either way, Boselli trusts the process.
And if Tony Boselli and general manager James Gladstone turn out to be right, the outside noise will decrease considerably. Conversely, it will increase if their strategy doesn't pan out. Either way, the Jaguars are embracing the challenge.
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