(04-26-2023, 09:49 AM)JagFanatic24 Wrote:

(04-25-2023, 10:57 AM)NYC4jags Wrote: A few things I'd like to unpack in these posts regarding the nickel:

• Nickel corner devaluation is officially an antiquated concept. Every year a dozen or more teams are putting premier receivers in the slot for a significant percentage of snaps. Plenty of other teams are getting their move TE matched up on the Y defender frequently by design. If you face these teams with a late round flyer at nickel you get what we got from Ceedee Lamb vs Tre Herndon last year. Nobody wants that. Jags had a nickel on the field for 70% of their snaps last year. It's important. 
  
• Is the first round still too early to draft a nickel?  Yes. I think it's early. I still feel like late 2nd round is the soonest you target a slot defender depending on positional depth that year. If I had my druthers in this year's draft we'd have a good candidate available to us in the third round. I would NOT wait until the 5th or later. You are going to be spinning your wheels again unless you hit the lottery - should you take that late round route. 
  
• Like many - I want to see the Jags get a pass rusher early. But please don't forget that a top notch nickel will indeed give the pass rush more time to operate. We saw an uptick in our pass rush last year when Williams moved to outside CB and suddenly routes and reads were not as instantly open for opposing QBs. Adding a quality nickel will have a similar effect - and cumulatively. 
  

I'd love to see the team address DL/Edge, OL, and nickel in that order. I think it just comes down to what's left to choose from when we're on the clock. They'll have to be flexible. 

Now, if the Jags select a DB early to play nickel in 2023 - but they intend for him to take over SS in 2024, I think the late first pick would be slightly more justified. Would still like to get that player later, but... I'd get it. Jenkins is likely in his last year as a Jag and he sucks in coverage. We can get better there. 

I have bleated like an injured lamb around here about how this OL wasn't very good last year despite the low # of sacks allowed and good runs produced. So I'm first in line to want O-linemen selected in this draft. 
In my perfect little draft utopia we'd select a tackle (early) who might play guard for a year if he doesn't beat out one of our penciled in tackles right away. I'd also try to find a guard in the fourth round who could challenge Bartch for a start. Extra points if that guard has some center experience in his resumé.  

Get Trevor a real pocket to step into instead of being forced to call so many quick release play designs and our big play percentage will skyrocket. Last year's win streak featured lots of plays designed to get the ball out quickly with smoke and mirrors ZBS looks from the line. That was Pederson wisely covering for the bad protection, but it put the onus on Trevor and it limited what he could do in those moments. Additionally  - we saw designed and undesigned rollouts galore because Shatley and Fortner were being moved straight backward immediately on an inordinate amount of plays. Get a real LG in there and that changes. 

Unrelated to these posts, but I have to get it off my chest: If you're calling for a RB or WR prior to the fifth and that guy doesn't have a near certain chance to be a difference making core special teamer, I can't take you seriously.

Has a nickel ever been drafted in the first round in the history of the NFL?

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