If I’ve learned one thing from the free agency frenzy so far, it’s that the Jaguars have already decided what player they want in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Jaguars acquisitions have shored up weaknesses and eliminated several would have been options for the Jaguars’ draft pick. The last man standing is Leonard Fournette, the superstar running back from LSU.
This has been a weird offseason for draft experts when looking at the team. Some would say the team is clearly targeting Jonathan Allen, the defensive lineman from Alabama. Others would say the team wants a safety, like LSU’s Jamal Adams or Ohio State’s Malik Hooker. Some give us a RB, usually Fournette but sometimes Dalvin Cook from Florida State. There are even people giving us offensive tackles (although there isn’t a clear consensus on who the top OTs are). However, the offseason has slowly eliminated all of these possibilities outside of the Fournette pick.
Defensive lineman and safety are now illogical picks at number four. The acquisition of Calais Campbell from Arizona solidifies a strength of the team. Campbell joins Dante Fowler, Yannick Ngakoue, Abry Jones and Malik Jackson on a really strong defensive line that has the potential to be the best since the first Coughlin era in Jax. The signings of Barry Church and AJ Bouye complete a strong secondary and make it seem nearly impossible that we draft anyone from the secondary, at least in the first round.
Offensive tackle seems like a possibility, but there is no player at the position worth this pick. Players like Cam Robinson, Garrett Bolles and others have the potential to be picked in the top 10, but aren’t worth that high of a pick. Tackle is a need, but with no value available and the acquisition of Branden Albert helping to ease things a bit, there is no point in reaching for a tackle here. This leads me to one conclusion: The Jaguars want Leonard Fournette. He’s a generational talent at running back and could be the future of this franchise. Coughlin and Caldwell want to build a team that revolves around the defense but has a capable offense. It seems like they’re aiming to be the new Seattle (ironic, since Bradley just left, but that’s none of my business). The team is setting everything up to pick the player that could define the Marrone-Coughlin era. How does Fournette project to the NFL?
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