JAGUARS 53 MAN ROSTER PREDICTION

With roster cuts just days away we predict the Jaguars 53 man roster.

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The Jaguars, along with the other 31 teams in the NFL, will have to trim their roster from 90 players all the way down to 53. And they have to do it by this Saturday (10/2/17) at 4pm!

So, of course, we're going to predict the entire 53 man roster, right here, right now.

Let's get to it!

Special Teams

Kicker (1): Jason Myers

There will only be one kicker. To the dismay of many Jaguars fans, that kicker is Jason Myers.

Punter (1): Brad Nortman

The Jaguars will have one punter as well. Brad Nortman arrived in Jacksonville in 2016 and had a really strong first season with the team. He'll look to continue his impressive play in 2017.

Long Snapper (1): Matt Overton

The Jaguars lost their starting long snapper, Carson Tinker, for the season early in camp. His replacement is Matt Overton. He appears a lock to make the team.

Special Teams Total: 3 Players

Defense

Defensive End (5): Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Dante Fowler Jr., Dawuane Smoot, Malliciah Goodman

The Jaguars have invested substantial resources into their defensive end position and this is the year they expect it to pay off. Guaranteed a roster spot at DE are Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Dante Fowler Jr., and Dawuane Smoot. After that things get dicey. The final defensive end spot will be a bit of a surprise. Malliciah Goodman has been impressive and provides a big body on the outside. I'm guessing he makes the roster as the final defensive end. He'll be competing with Jonathan Woodard and Carrol Phillips, among others, for the last spot. 

Defensive Tackle (4): Malik Jackson, Abry Jones, Stefan Charles, Sheldon Day

The Jaguars have a really solid group at defensive tackle. With Abry Jones and Malik Jackson entrenched as starters the group has nice talent at the top.  Stefan Charles and Sheldon Day provide good depth for the Jags.

Linebacker (6): Myles Jack, Telvin Smith, Paul Posluszny, Hayes Pullard, Blair Brown, Lerentee McCray

The Jaguars have an interesting group at linebacker. The combination of Myles Jack, Paul Posluszny, and Telvin Smith will all start. Hayes Pullard is locked in as a solid backup middle linebacker and the rest of the spots seem to be up for grabs. Rookie Blair Brown hasn't been overly impressive to this point, but he does have a promising skill set. I think he'll make the team along with Lerentee McCray as backup outside backers. 

Cornerback (5): Jalen Ramsey, AJ Bouye, Aaron Colvin, Tyler Patmon, Jalen Myrick

The Jaguars starting corners might be the most impressive group on the team, but the depth is . . . a work in progress. Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye are entrenched as the starters on the outside, while Aaron Colvin mans the nickel corner spot. Tyler Patmon has been an INT and PBU machine in training camp and has solidified a spot on the roster for himself. After that it's a crap shoot. Brian Dixon has been decent in camp, but he's battling with rookie Jalen Myrick, and a host of others. I'll give the edge to Myrick based on his potential and speed.

Safety (4): Tashaun Gipson, Barry Church, Peyton Thompson, Jarrod Wilson

The Jaguars two starters at safety are locked in. Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson will look to form one of the better duos at safety in the NFL. They're backups also appear locked in. Behind Gipson is Peyton Thompson, a special teams ace. Backing up Church is the young playmaking strong safety Jarrod Wilson.

Defensive Total: 24 Players

Offense

Quarterback (3): Blake Bortles, Chad Henne, Brandon Allen

The Jaguars rolled with three QBs in 2016, and it appears they are going to do the same in 2017. Their starter, Blake Bortles is on a short leash and the Jaguars will want to have their option open if they decide to sit Bortles. Both Chad Henne and Brandon Allen will make the roster.

Running back (4): Leonard Fournette, Chris Ivory, TJ Yeldon, Corey Grant 

The Jaguars have a deep group at running back, but their two primary backups, Chris Ivory and TJ Yeldon, have done very little to show they belong this preseason. Leonard Fournette has been very impressive in the limited time we've seen him, while the team's fourth running back, Corey Grant, has been impressive in his own right. The Jaguars have great versatility in this group of backs.

Tight end (3): Marcedes Lewis, Ben Koyack, Mychal Rivera

The Jaguars tight end position is one of the harder groups to predict on the team. I would say Marcedes Lewis and Ben Koyack are locks to make the team. After that there are more questions than answers. Could the Jaguars keep Mychal Rivera despite him missing every preseason game thus far? Do the Jaguars like Neal Sterling as a move tight end? I'm going to predict the Jaguars go with Rivera, who is proven pass catcher in this league.

Fullback (1): Marquez Williams

Marquez Williams vs Tommy Bohanan. I'm going to go with Williams here because he's younger and more talented. Need i say more?

Wide Receiver (6): Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook, Arrelious Benn, Keelan Cole

The Jaguars first five wide receivers are locked in. Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook, and Arrelious Benn are all locks to make the team. The first four are big time receivers and the final is a core special teams player. The final guy to make the roster is undrafted rookie Keelan Cole. He let two touchdown opportunities slip through his fingertips (literally) in weeks two and three of the preseason, but he did more than enough to earn a roster spot with the Jags. 

Offensive Line (9): Cam Robinson, Brandon Linder, AJ Cann, Jermey Parnell, Luke Bowanko, Patrick Omameh, Tyler Shatley, Josh Wells, Earl Watford

The Jaguars offensive line actually has some nice depth. The only problem is that at a couple of positions the starters don't appear any better than the backups. There are several locks to make the team: Brandon Linder, Cam Robinson, AJ Cann, and Jermey Parnell are all set to be starters, even if the latter two haven't played like one. It looks like Luke Bowanko has the upper hand in the competition for the starting left guard spot and he has position versatility, so we'll count him in. After that things get really, really messy. There are names like Tyler Shatley, Josh Wells, Patrick Omameh, Earl Watford, Chris Reed, Jeremiah Poutasi and more.  Based on my roster breakdown the team can only have four backups on the offensive line. I'm going with Shatley as a versatile interior lineman, Wells as the swing tackle, Omameh as a backup at both guard spots, and Earl Watford as a guy that can play every position along the line. 

Offensive Total: 26 Players

Per usual, I'm probably not 100% correct on this, but if this was the final 53 man roster I would be in no way surprised. What do you think? Is there anyone that didn't make my final cut that you think deserves to be there? Let me know in the comments below!