Jacksonville Jaguars: Team Draft Needs

Jacksonville Jaguars: Team Draft Needs

This article is part of our NFL Draft series.

For a steady source of draft news and prospect analysis, make sure to follow us on Twitter at @NFLDraft2K14!

Despite showing signs of life during the second half of the 2013 season, Jacksonville still has a roster riddled with holes. Quarterback remains the most glaring weakness, but upgrades could be had at nearly any position. The Jags own the third overall pick and have extra selections in the fourth and fifth rounds from a pair of trades.

1. Quarterback

Though management has stated that they are not ready to give up on Blaine Gabbert just yet, Gabbert has been underwhelming and injury-prone during his first three seasons in Jacksonville. It might be difficult for the Jags to pass up either Central Florida product Blake Bortles or former Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel. Even if they decide to forego selecting one of the top-rated gunslingers, a successful college quarterback like Tajh Boyd, AJ McCarron or Aaron Murray could be brought into the mix later in the draft to challenge Gabbert and Chad Henne.

2. Defensive End

Despite the need for a quarterback, the Jaguars would certainly consider taking Jadeveon Clowney if he fell to the No. 3 slot. Jacksonville finished last in the NFL with just 31 sacks during the 2013 campaign. If Clowney is gone or the Jags choose to select a QB in round one, they will instead look to upgrade their subpar pass rush during the latter portions of the draft.

3. Offensive Tackle

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For a steady source of draft news and prospect analysis, make sure to follow us on Twitter at @NFLDraft2K14!

Despite showing signs of life during the second half of the 2013 season, Jacksonville still has a roster riddled with holes. Quarterback remains the most glaring weakness, but upgrades could be had at nearly any position. The Jags own the third overall pick and have extra selections in the fourth and fifth rounds from a pair of trades.

1. Quarterback

Though management has stated that they are not ready to give up on Blaine Gabbert just yet, Gabbert has been underwhelming and injury-prone during his first three seasons in Jacksonville. It might be difficult for the Jags to pass up either Central Florida product Blake Bortles or former Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel. Even if they decide to forego selecting one of the top-rated gunslingers, a successful college quarterback like Tajh Boyd, AJ McCarron or Aaron Murray could be brought into the mix later in the draft to challenge Gabbert and Chad Henne.

2. Defensive End

Despite the need for a quarterback, the Jaguars would certainly consider taking Jadeveon Clowney if he fell to the No. 3 slot. Jacksonville finished last in the NFL with just 31 sacks during the 2013 campaign. If Clowney is gone or the Jags choose to select a QB in round one, they will instead look to upgrade their subpar pass rush during the latter portions of the draft.

3. Offensive Tackle

An obvious reason why Jacksonville is picking so high in the 2014 draft is that they have many holes. Offensive tackle is also a need. However, with the selection of Luke Joeckel No. 2 overall in last year's draft, it appears unlikely that Jacksonville would select another tackle in the first round in 2014. Still, the Jaguars allowed 50 sacks last season, and only the Dolphins allowed more. As a result, the offensive line will be addressed via the draft.

Potential targets

Quarterback

First round
-Teddy Bridgewater*, Louisville (6-3, 205)
-Johnny Manziel*, Texas A&M (6-0, 210)
-Blake Bortles*, Central Florida (6-3, 230)
-Derek Carr, Houston (6-3, 220)

Second and third rounds
-David Fales, San Jose State (6-2, 220)
-Zach Mettenberger, LSU (6-5, 235)
-Tajh Boyd, Clemson (6-1, 225)
-AJ McCarron, Alabama (6-3, 215)
-Brett Smith, Wyoming (6-2, 210)

Fourth round and later
-Aaron Murray, Georgia (6-1, 210)
-Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (6-6, 255)
-Stephen Morris, Miami (6-2, 220)

Defensive end

First round
-Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina (6-5, 275)

Second and third rounds
-Scott Crichton, Oregon State (6-3, 265)
-Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas (6-4, 250)
-Trent Murphy, Stanford (6-6, 260)
-Chris Smith, Arkansas (6-2, 270)
-Trevor Reilly, Utah (6-5, 255)
-Kareem Martin, North Carolina (6-5, 265)

Fourth round and later
-Aaron Lynch, South Florida (6-5, 245)
-Michael Sam, Missouri (6-2, 255)
-Ed Stinson, Alabama (6-3, 290)
-Josh Mauro, Stanford (6-6, 280)

Offensive tackle

First round
-Jake Matthews, Texas A&M (6-5, 305)
-Greg Robinson*, Auburn (6-5, 320)

Second and third rounds
-Zack Martin, Notre Dame (6-4, 310)
-Taylor Lewan, Michigan (6-4, 250)
-Antonio Richardson, Tennessee (6-6, 330)
-James Hurst, North Carolina (6-6, 305)
-Jack Mewhort, Ohio State (6-6, 310)
-Joel Bitonio, Nevada (6-4, 315)

Fourth round and later
-Billy Turner, North Dakota State (6-5, 310)
-Seantrel Henderson, Miami (6-7, 345)
-Wesley Johnson, Vanderbilt (6-5, 290)
-Austin Wentworth, Fresno State (6-5, 310)
-Michael Schofield, Michigan (6-6, 305)
-Justin Britt, Missouri (6-6, 315)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jesse Siegel
Siegel covers college football, college basketball and minor league baseball for RotoWire. He was named College Sports Writer of the Year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.
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