The mystery surrounding the players selected in the draft is over. But now that all of the teams have added their draft picks, naturally opinions and questions will arise from the various offseasons teams have had. Here are some of mine.
1. I've noticed the first two teams on our schedule had major holes on their offensive lines coming into the drafts. With the Giants adding Nate Solder and Will Hernandez, it seems they have solidified their OL to the point of competence. I think the Giants will be a strong test for our defense now that their OL has been addressed and they have an impressive array of skill players. As for New England, they have added Isiah Wynn, and it appears they will play him at LT despite his short arms because of his overall athleticism. I wonder how he will hold up in the first two weeks against the Texans and us.
2. I don't think that Chark is the next coming of T.O. or Julio Jones. But he doesn't have to be them for him to be successful for us. All he needs to do is establish himself as a deep threat outside enough to give defenses pause before committing the 8th guy in the box the entire game. I look for the team to utilize his deep speed early in the schedule to establish that deep threat.
3. As far as the Jaguars draft class as a whole, I don't think it should necessarily be judged on its immediate impact. Instead I think it will be judged by its impact in 2019 and beyond. Ultimately, this draft class is about extending the window of contention. If these guys replace the high salary cap guys ahead of them with little to no drop off, they will certainly be deemed a success. If, however, the performance suffers significantly, so will the draft grades for this class.
4. I think the Colts are more of a threat on the ground than they have been in some time due to the additions of Nelson and Braden Smith, but also due to the uncertainty around Luck.
5. The Texans got a decent player in Martinas Rankin, but I don't think they solved their OL problems overall. They got better in the secondary with Colvin, Honey Badger and Reid, but I don't think those additions will be enough to offset the weakness that remains their OL.
6. The tacks bolstered their defense with two good players in Evans and Landry. But was LB the difference between the tacks beating NE in the playoffs?
7. The Jets got an unexpected gift in Sam Darnold. If they are smart, they will keep him on the bench until they can fix the rest of their offense.
8. Fans of the running game should love the game between us and Dallas. As much as I liked Hurns when he was here, as it stands now, I see no huge threat in the Dallas passing game, either at wideout or at TE.
9. I'm glad we don't play the Chargers this year. I hope we don't see them in the playoffs. They matched up well with us last year, and all they did was add to their defense.
Worst to 1st. Curse Reversed!
