What if Jalen Ramsey is gone at 5: Part 1 (Secondary)

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The first part of a series where we analyze what the Jaguars might do if Jalen Ramsey is gone when the Jaguars select at 5. A quick look at which secondary players will be available to the Jaguars if Ramsey is gone at 5.

By Zach Weeks

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Jaguars Team Needs
Our biggest team needs reside mostly within our pass rush and our secodary. We also need experienced depth on our offensive line. Let's start with potential free agent and draft options in our secondary.

​Secondary
Most true Jaguars fans could probably offer insight into the position groups where the Jaguars are either thin or devoid of talent. We need playmakers somewhere within our secondary. Jalen Ramsey could potentially fill that void for us, as he played both corner and free-safety in college at a high level, and could do the same in the pros. Even if Ramsey isn’t available at 5, it is imperative that the Jaguars find a suitable and NFL ready member of the secondary in the draft.  That is, it unlikely that they will be able to acquire a big name playmaker in free-agency due to the lack of truly talented players that will be available and be willing to depart from their current teams. Here are some big name free agents that could be available in Free Agency.

Reggie Nelson (S)
​Eric Berry (S)
Josh Norman (CB)
Prince Amukamara (CB)
Janoris Jenkins (CB)
Eric Weddle (S)

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, many of these players are expected to re-sign with their respective teams. Reggie Nelson has already had a stint with the Jaguars and Eric Berry is loved and valued highly in Kansas City. Josh Norman, who quickly became a top-5 corner in the league, will likely sign a substantial contract in the offseason with the Panthers. Eric Weddle is a great potential prospect for our secondary and is great in coverage, which would help the Jaguars on third down. He would provide veteran leadership, and accompanied with a solid first round draft pick, could quickly improve a struggling defense.

Luckily, the 2016 draft will be as rich with talent as it has been in the last ten years at the safety and corner positions. I suspect, assuming that the Jaguars do not get Ramsey, the Jaguars will target one of the many promising corners coming out. The two, who as of now could be the quickest to contribute, are Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander and Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves III.

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Mackensie Alexander:
Alexander’s stat line for the 2015 season is not overly impressive. He only accounted for 23 tackles and 5 passes defended on the season, but similar to Jalen Ramsey, the receivers he covered were not targeted often which led to him not recording a single interception in 2015. His NFL combine credentials and pro day will likely reveal his true talent.

Vernon Hargreaves III:
Vernon Hargreaves of Florida has stats that are considerably more likely to catch your eye. In 2015 Hargreaves had 51 total tackles, 42 of them solo — an impressive stat considering his size. He also had 4 interceptions on the year and four passes defended. The tackles alone illustrates that he is much more athletic than his size suggests. My only negative insight into Hargreaves is he was exposed some in the 2015 season in the big play pass game.