Pick # 16: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags seem to be stuck in no man’s land. Is anyone ever going to take them seriously as a contender? Maybe the more prudent question, if they were ever a real contender, would anyone care? The Jaguars have the notoriously worst fan base in the NFL because Florida is all about high school and college football with a little Dolphins carry over, and there was really never any room for a second franchise. They were routinely blacked out last year on television and had the worst attendance in the league, all reasons that many think we are going to be calling them the Los Angeles Jaguars as early as 2013.

Yet, the Jaguars have a relatively sharp G.M in Gene Smith. I thought he made the pick of the first round last year with Tyson Alualu at number 10, just a ballsy pick that no one saw coming but the kid had a quietly dominant year. The Jaguars draft philosphy since Smith has taken over has been obvious - build from the inside out. In 2009, his first year overseeing the draft, the Jags first three picks were all spent on offensive and defensive tackles, and in 2010 his first two picks were spent on defensive tackles, the aforementioned Alualu and D’Anthony Smith from LSU. He clearly feels that the value is to tackle the line positions early in the draft and invest less heavily in the other positions. If you don’t believe me, David Garrard has been their starting QB for the past 4 seasons and I don't think they actually have any wide receivers on their team.

(INSERT OFFENSIVE NAME) #16 OVERALL MOCK DRAFT PICK:
CAMERON JORDAN - DE, CALIFORNIA

Not only will the trend continue but Gene Smith will once again dip into University of California pool for a first round difference maker. Him and Tyson Alualu made a hell of a team at Cal, coming in 1-2 in total tackles in 2008 and 2009 and I think they work the same magic at the next level. Jordan absolutely destroyed the senior bowl this year, he and Von Miller separated themselves with outstanding performances. This guy actually reminds me a lot of Brandon Graham, the Eagle’s first rounder from Michigan last year. Sort of underrated, under the radar college career, huge senior bowl, impressive combine, and gets snatched up in the middle of the first round. This guy’s got the same trajectory going and 16 to the D-line loving Jags makes a ton of sense.

Entire Mock Draft:

1. Carolina Panthers - Marcell Dareus
2. Denver Broncos - Patrick Peterson
3. Buffalo Bills - Cam Newton
4. Cincinnati Bengals - A.J. Green
5. Arizona Cardinals - Blaine Gabbert
6. Cleveland Browns - Julio Jones
7. San Francisco 49ers - Von Miller
8. Tennessee Titans - Nick Fairley
9. Dallas Cowboys - Prince Amukamara
10. Washington Redskins - Jake Locker
11. Houston Texans - Robert Quinn
12. Minnesota Vikings - J.J Watt
13. Detroit Lions - Tyron Smith
14. St. Louis Rams - Aldon Smith
15. Miami Dolphins - Mike Pouncey
16. Jacksonville Jaguars - Cameron Jordan