In one of the best lines from "The Untouchables," Sean Connery is the grizzled Chicago beat cop who constantly asks the vastly overrated Kevin Costner "What are you prepared to do?"
Today I pose that question to you.
It is a given our Jaguars are a QB starved team. Even with the salary cap departures sure to come, many of us have the sense we could still potentially be a playoff team if we can find a good young signal caller in the draft. Dwayne Haskins has been a favorite subject of speculation, with a few indicating we should "give up the farm" to get him.
Indeed, even though many of the teams picking ahead of us drafted/acquired young QBs last year, QB is always a high demand position. The Raiders at 4, Bucs at 5, Giants at 6 could potentially target a QB. Below us, teams like Denver, Cincinnati, and as low as Washington at 15 could be interested in acquiring a signal caller and may be willing to deal up ahead of us to land him.
But should we "give up the farm" to trade up for Haskins?
That depends upon what constitutes the farm...specifically draft pick consideration.
Absent trading away established players, we may be asked to give up a future first round pick to move up. If that's the case, I'm not sure I pull the trigger.
Next year is supposedly a stronger and deeper QB class. Justin Herbert, who many speculated would have been the first QB taken in this year's crop. Add in Tua, Fromm, and others, it appears the 2020 crop may rival the 2018 draft class.
Though that win over Miami cost us at least two draft spots, we are still in "reasonable" range to take Haskins. As desperate as we are at QB, if I look at a long term approach, I'm inclined to take my chances with next year's class if the cost for trading up for Haskins involves a 2020 first round pick. There is a chance we could move up without giving up next year's first or someone too valuable and still land Haskins. If we wanted Haskins, got him, and still kept our 2020 first round pick, we could have a lot of draft capital next year if we understandably struggle with a rookie signal caller with our schedule. If we hit on Haskins, with the strength of our schedule, we could still struggle and finish with a high pick. In that scenario, we could finally pull off one of those blockbuster trades down that so many have wanted.
Of course there is considerable risk for that approach. For Caldwell, Coughlin and Marrone, putting off finding a QB for another year could cost the team another winning season and them their jobs. Without a young stud signal caller, we could see another underachieving and losing season. A new GM/Coach combo would likely institute new schemes with new personnel requirements. Furthermore, we are talented enough such that we could win enough games to put us out of range for one of the QBs next year. With the quality of the signal callers in next year's class, teams within the top 5 or 10 may be more reluctant to deal down, and the cost of moving up may be more costly than it is this year, and at the end of the day, we may not have a QB this year OR next year.
If the cost for trading up involves next year's first round pick, I don't think I make the move up.
So what are you prepared to do...and why?
Worst to 1st. Curse Reversed!
