Jaguars Draft

[BridgeTroll]

  Oh I agree Shwaz... but that is the fun of it.  Pitting our ignorant opinions against the intelligentsia of the sporting news world and the professionals in the business.... stir the pot and discuss some more...

[Shwaz]

Oh I agree Shwaz... but that is the fun of it.  Pitting our ignorant opinions against the intelligentsia of the sporting news world and the professionals in the business.... stir the pot and discuss some more...

I honestly hate it. Maybe I wouldn't if ticket sales weren't so tightly weaved into the opinion of personnel and team direction. I wonder how many people were turned off by the Alualu pick based on 'expert' analysis which lead them to canceling or not purchasing season tickets?

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

You're so right, BT!!!!!

So I went and got 'The Real Scoop' from the only true source for all infallible information allowed here on MetroJacksonville.  Enjoy.      

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110429/fbn-nfl-draft-jaguars/

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. â€" Jacksonville's defense isn't getting the makeover everyone expected.

Instead, the Jaguars have used four picks to get two eventual offensive starters in the NFL draft.

The Jaguars traded up four spots and chose guard Will Rackley in the third round Friday night, the team's first selection since trading up to grab quarterback Blaine Gabbert with the 10th pick in the first round.

Jacksonville gave up its second-round pick to move up six spots and get Gabbert. The team gave up its sixth-round pick (No. 182 overall) to swap third-round spots with San Francisco and select Rackley with the 76th pick.

A four-year starter at Lehigh, Rackley played left tackle the last three years. He likely will play guard or center for the Jaguars.

[blizz01]

Sorry - At some point more and more people are going to regard Gene Smith as self indulgent rather than a genius.  We're led to believe that he is some sort of mastermind by selecting obscure talent from 2nd tier schools.  I'm still trying to determine who our diamonds in the rough have been based on his criteria (?).  While drafted a bit early (arguably), Alualu was a big time talent from a bona fide program - so throw him out of the equation.  Seems to me that most of these guys (maybe not all) were probably available in later rounds or even free agency.  It's easy to second guess & play armchair QB, but in hindsight, the last 2 years have shown that there was opportunity to get creative & possibly parlay these picks into higher yield and substance.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

So you're saying to trade back from the 3rd and 4th rounds and pick up even more obscure talent in rounds 5-7?

[blizz01]

I'm saying that Gene Smith is one man.  Regardless of what people may think about other so-called experts/analysts & draft board rankings - collectively, I put more stock in the opinions of the masses.  There's a reason that many of these players don't play D-I ball.  I'd rather roll the dice & hope to bring some of these guys in post draft/free agency rather than use a 3rd or 4th round pick.  I have more of a comfort level with a "good" player from a top tier program rather than a "great" player from a 2nd tier program/conference/league.  Just my opinion.  That said,  while there have been many examples of players that have panned out historically, the odds are stacked - and to constantly select from this talent pool seems disproportionate.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Gene Smith is one man......  in charge of a team of 11 scouts and personel directors that are in charge of finding talent for the jaguars.

You can't take the talking heads seriously because all they're in for are ratings.  The pick the best player to fit a team's need at the time.  How long was Aaron Rodgers on the bench before he won a superbowl?  3 years.  He didn't start a game for 3 years, behind Brett Favre, and look at him now.  The Packers picked him up somewhere near the bottom of the first round - not because they needed a QB at the time, but because he was the best player that GB had targeted.

The question that you have to ask yourself is why would a kid go to USF instead of UF?  Maybe it's because he wants to play right away and not ride the bench - and not as much of that has to do with talent as it does with other things.

in '94 I walked on the Clemson golf team, was 8th of 18 during the summer schedule that we played, but was ultimately told to try again next year - 3 of the people I had beaten ended up on the team, which fielded 10 golfers.  I could have gone to a junior college, but I didn't go to school for golf.  Meaning I was pretty good, but not elite.

So, long story short - I trust the 11 scouts and Gene a whole hell of a lot more in evaluating talent than any talking head.  The heads only focus on the big-named school players and scouting teams are focused on the players.

[blizz01]

Gene Smith is one man......  in charge of a team of 11 scouts and personnel directors that are in charge of finding talent for the jaguars.

And there are (31 x (~12 staff) = 372) remaining teams/bodies in the NFL with the same task that also don't subscribe to that logic.
It just gets tiresome reaching for players every season.  Has it panned out?  We've been the poster child for mediocrity for a decade - a whole new generation.  I do respect the reasons (yourself included) that players choose smaller programs/paths, however, it doesn't take away from the perception that the Jaguars' philosophy appears one sided.  Some of the greatest have come from small schools, however, not most of the greatest.  They are the exception to the rule.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Well just for arguments sake - look at the last draft from the Shack Harris Era and let me know how those 'big school' players are doing today.

1 8 8 Derrick Harvey Defensive End Florida
2 21 52 Quentin Groves Defensive End Auburn
5 20 155 Thomas Williams Linebacker USC
5 24 159 Trae Williams Cornerback South Florida
7 6 213 Chauncey Washington Running Back USC

[Shwaz]

Gene Smith is one man......  in charge of a team of 11 scouts and personnel directors that are in charge of finding talent for the jaguars.

And there are (31 x (~12 staff) = 372) remaining teams/bodies in the NFL with the same task that also don't subscribe to that logic.
It just gets tiresome reaching for players every season.  Has it panned out?  We've been the poster child for mediocrity for a decade - a whole new generation.  I do respect the reasons (yourself included) that players choose smaller programs/paths, however, it doesn't take away from the perception that the Jaguars' philosophy appears one sided.  Some of the greatest have come from small schools, however, not most of the greatest.  They are the exception to the rule.

Blizz your outlook is both flawed and short sighted. Plenty of the other 31 teams draft the best available player regardless of school, division or conference.

Blaming GM Gene for the last 10 years is a little off. He's been a GM now for 2 years and this is his 3rd draft. I think we've found some real gems even in the short time frame.

Terrance Knighton (Temple)
Derek Cox (William & Mary)
Deji Karim (Southern Illinois)
Mike Thomas (Arizona)
Eben Britton (Arizona)

I think you'll find a mix of players from D-1 through D-3... regardless they're all starters and doing pretty well for 1-2 years removed from the college ranks.

[copperfiend]

All of Gene Smith's first round picks have been from BCS league teams. So were Tiquan Underwood, Eben Britton and Mike Thomas from his first draft class. He has picked players from non-BCS leagues. Terrance Knighton, Jarrett Dillard, D'Anthony Smith, Chris Prosinski and Rod Issac. But they still played D1A football. And it's not as if the players that came from D1AA and lower (Rashad Jennings, Zach Miller, Austen Lane, Deji Karim) haven't contributed. As a matter of fact all look like potential playmakers.

He took Will Rackley in the third round this year and Cecil Shorts in the fourth round. Look at their pre-draft grades from most scouting services. They were taken right where they were projected.

So, whats the issue? From hearing people around town it seems the main issue is they don't take enough players from SEC schools.

[copperfiend]

In the Super Bowl, the Packers had starters from Louisiana Tech, Bethune Cookman, Central Michigan, UTEP, East Carolina, Western Michigan, Boise State, Buffalo, San Jose State, Alcorn State and UCF. So half of their starters were from what people in this town would consider "small schools".

[Shwaz]

But Copper how can this be? They never played on the 'national stage' or in the 'big spot light' or in the 'largest outdoor cocktail party'?

[blizz01]

OK OK OK - good arguments/case in point....Although I'm not sure where everything derailed & took an SEC homer slant - I didn't offer that up (5 of the top 10 were from the SEC, though; and the SEC did produce the most players selected). 

[Wacca Pilatka]

OK OK OK - good arguments/case in point....Although I'm not sure where everything derailed & took an SEC homer slant - I didn't offer that up (5 of the top 10 were from the SEC, though; and the SEC did produce the most players selected). 

The SEC homer mentality seems pretty prevalent amidst a certain element of the Jaguar fan base.  E.g., the ones who claim even Monroe and Alualu came from "small schools."  Not that you were offering that up, but a fair number of those disgruntled with Gene seem primarily distraught over a lack of SEC draft picks.  Or specifically, Florida.  Or more specifically, Tebow.