The Jaguars had a pressing need on the defensive line after trading Marcus
Stroud, so they added ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves with their first
two picks. However, they still lack a replacement for safety Sammy Knight, who
left for the Giants.
Round 1, Pick 8 (8) (From Ravens) Derrick Harvey DE 6'5" 252 Florida
The Jaguars moved up with an eye on getting after the opposing quarterback,
especially Peyton Manning. Harvey is a natural pass rusher and his best football
may be ahead of him considering he came out as a junior.
Round 2, Pick 21 (52) (From Buccaneers) Quentin Groves DE 6'3" 250 Auburn
The Jaguars add another pass rusher to their defense. Although Groves had 26
sacks at Auburn, he's got some quirks in his game. If he can get everything
going mentally he will be a good player.
Round 5, Pick 20 (155)
(From Browns through Cowboys) Thomas Williams OLB 6'1" 238 Southern Cal
Williams has been a backup most of his caeer at USC. He played four spots,
including LB and FB. He's a smart guy who's going to be a solid special teams
player at this level and bring effort, intensity and passion.
Round 5, Pick 24 (159) Trae Williams CB 5'9" 193 South Florida
Overshadowed by Mike Jenkins on the other side at South Florida, Williams was
also a solid cover corner. He fell a bit on draft boards, but still holds good
value at this spot and gives the Jaguars a young corner to develop under Rashean
Mathis.
Round 7, Pick 6 (213)
(From Raiders through Cowboys) Chauncey Washington RB 6'0" 211 Southern Cal
He's a strong inside runner with a solid build. He's a backup-type player
and could develop into a good kick returner.
Jacksonville Jaguars 2008 NFL Preview
We are going to go ahead
and say it. This is the year that the Jaguars equal the Colts. It's
probably going to come down to a tiebreaker. The Jaguars are one
tough team. They went into Pittsburgh and defeated the Steelers in
the playoffs. It doesn't get any tougher than that, and they just
continue to get tougher. Fred Taylor can put together another good
season and David Garrard continues to develop and control the games,
they have a chance to take over the top spot in the AFC South this
year. Derrick Harvey will add some speed to a pass rush that wasn't
all there last year.
Offense: The Jaguars are not hard to figure out on offense.
They do two things, establish the ground game behind Fred Taylor and
Maurice Hones-Drewand minimize mistakes in the passing game with
quarterback David Garrard. Jack Del Rio obviously knew what he was
doing when he dumped Byron Leftwich for a raw Garrard, and it has
paid great dividends. jerry porter can do nothing but help the
offense.
Defense: Marcus Stroud may be gone, but the Jags most likely
let go of him just in time. They went looking for a replacement in
the draft and came up with two in DE's Derrick Harvey and Quentin
Groves. With John Henderson on the inside protecting them they
shoudl become a very strong line unit. The defense will be just fine
as always.
Overall:Jacksonville’s
style of play is boring. Even when it’s exciting, it’s boring. The
Jaguars don’t care. We
think this is the year the Jags catch up to the Colts. The Jags will
tie the Colts atop the division at 11-5 and meet them again in the
AFC Championship Game and win before losing to the Patriots in the
Super Bowl. Not a bad season by any stretch.
