TUESDAY HOT THOUGHTS: WEDNESDAY EDITION

A weekly look inside the mind of Jeremy Markoski.

BY JEREMY MARKOSKI

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Wednesday is the new Tuesday

The Jaguars got WAY better through the draft, BUT… 

Did the Jaguars get better through the 2022 NFL Draft? You bet your sweet bum they did! They got WAAAAAY better on one side of the ball, at least. They SHOULD have taken Hutch; I WOULD have taken Neal, but they DID take Walker, and here we are. Trent Baalke has made his bed, and now he has to lie in it, and for his sake, I hope Travon Walker is everything they expect he can be. This is the most competent coaching staff the Jaguars have had since Del Rio and co. (which isn't saying much), but the track record for developing high ceiling players is not great around here. They doubled down on defense in the first round by moving up to take Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, a HELL of a pick. The value here was fantastic, and the Jaguars have to be ecstatic with how the defense looks, but still no help for Trevor Lawrence. There is no excuse in my opinion, for not taking a single draft pick and showing your franchise quarterback you are behind him completely. Did the Jaguars' offense get better this offseason? Sure it did. It's not a tough thing to do when you start from the bottom, but at some point, you have to make sure this kid knows you are fully behind his development. I will end with this as I know you are probably sick of my draft takes by now: In a division led by #22 and #28, you have to stop the run to win the division. The Jaguars are well on their way there; I just hope they can score some points.
 
Urban Meyer is a Liar 

This one wasn't about wins and losses, as Jaguars owner Shad Khan made very clear in an AP article yesterday. Urban Meyer lost the trust of his team, his staff, and the guy who wrote his checks. Funny though, that guy (who signs said checks) fails to follow up on his own words as we have still not made any moves in the front office. #WhereisWaugh 

Jax Varsity Tee Black

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Best Pick of the Draft 

The best pick of the 2022 NFL Draft by far for the hometown team was Snoop Conner. The Jaguars needed to add another back here with James Robinson and Travis Etienne coming off of injuries to the foot/ankle, and any guy named Snoop gets an A+++ grade from me! On a more serious note, Conner is a powerful runner with experience in a zone running scheme which I fully expect Doug Pederson to roll out here in Duval. Running an unofficial 4.6 40-yard dash, Conner doesn't have the breakaway speed, but he does look faster than James Robinson on tape. That gap will likely close in the NFL, but a productive runner nonetheless. Conner averaged 5.2 yards a carry over three seasons as a rotational back, and also scored 26 total touchdowns, 13 in his senior season. The rotation Lane Kiffin used kept Conner fresh, as he noted himself in a post-draft interview. A young, solid rotation in the backfield could help keep the Jaguars ahead of the sticks on 2nd and 3rd down, which is something they struggled with mightily last season.

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