Reviewing the Jaguars 2016 Draft: Round 1

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This will be a series of round by round reviews of the Jaguars 2016 NFL Draft. Who are the draftees and how do they fit with the Jags? Find out here! Today, we will begin with the 1st Round.

By Jordan de Lugo

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PRESENTED BY

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With the 5th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft the Jacksonville Jaguars select.... Jalen Ramsey!

Jalen Ramsey (FSU) Round 1. #5 overall

Who is this guy? Well to be completely honest, most Jaguars fans know a lot about Jalen Ramsey already. They know he played his college ball at FSU where he helped lead the Noles to a National Title as a sophomore. Most fans know that Jalen Ramsey was considered by many to be the best player in the entire draft. Most importantly, fans already know that Jalen Ramsey's alpha dog mentality and his ultra rare athletic ability make him a potential home run of a pick! A few things you might not know: When Jalen Ramsey leaps he can extend his arms to reach nearly two times his height! With a 6'1'', 200+ lb. frame Ramsey can jump 45'' into the air reaching 11'8'', and run a 4.4 second forty yard dash.  

How'd he fall to 5? While Jalen Ramsey didn't take a huge draft slide, he was mocked by most to go before the 5th pick in the draft. There were several domino's that had to fall in the right place for the Jaguars to get such a steal with the 5th pick. First the Titans traded their 1st round pick, #1 overall, to the Rams, who were eager to start fresh at quarterback and had an eye for Jared Goff. Then the Browns traded their 1st round pick to the Eagles, #2 overall, who reportedly were comfortable with taking either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. Seeing as how Goff went first the obvious selection for the Eagles was Wentz. Then it gets really juicy. The Chargers who just lost Eric Weddle, one of the best free safeties in the NFL, seemed an obvious fit for Jalen Ramsey, but instead, to the delight of Jaguar fans everywhere they took Joey Bosa, in an attempt to sure up their pass rush. Then the impossible happened - the Dallas Cowboys took running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick in the draft! A running back was the key ingredient to Dallas' success two years ago and they decided they needed to find a dominant runner once again, so they went with Elliott, leaving the Jaguars with a tough decision. The Jags elected to go with Ramsey, one of the only players at the top of the class with virtually no on or off field blemishes or question marks.  

Now, how's he fit in the Jaguars' defense? Ramsey has the athleticism and skill to play any defensive back position for the Jaguars, but coach Gus Bradley and general manager Dave Caldwell insist that they see him as a cornerback, which is good, because the Jaguars currently have another new face intrenched at free safety (the position that many of us thought Ramsey would be best at) in newly acquired free agent, Tahsaun Gipson. Prior to the draft it appeared that the Jaguars had their secondary all figured out. Tashaun Gipson would start at free safety, John Cyprien at strong safety, Davon House and Prince Amukamara would be the starting outside cornerbacks, and Aaron Colvin would start inside in the nickel. Well, the addition of Jalen Ramsey has thrown a wrench into that line of thought. Ramsey will almost certainly start from day one. With the four game suspension of Aaron Colvin to start the season, you're likely to see Ramsey playing a lot of nickel corner for the first quarter of the season. The bottom line is Ramsey is a fit in any defense and especially with the Jags who were absolutely atrocious on third down defense in 2015. 

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