(11-10-2023, 10:56 AM)NYC4jags Wrote:

(11-10-2023, 10:21 AM)TheDuke007 Wrote: My overall impression with Baalke's job with Jaguars is that he has been good at hitting the soft balls but hasn't shown he can hit a fast ball.  His successes are overwhelmingly early round draft picks and high priced free agents.  To keep the Jaguars successful going forward, he's going to have find good replacement players without having those advantages.  His strength at hitting soft balls in the draft is also becoming more questionable with some recent draft picks not off to a good start.

Rather than baseball analogies and vagaries - could you just identify all the picks you think he has screwed up?

I don't particularly like the term "screwed up".  I do think there's a number of picks where a different GM would have gone in a different direction which likely would have generated more benefit to the team.

I don't think Baalke has done a good job on Day Three of the draft.  In 2021, he had 4 draft picks on Day Three.  3 of the 4 are no longer on the team and the one exception is a tight end with 131 career receiving yards over the course of 2.5 seasons.  In 2022, 1 of the 3 picks is no longer on the 53 man roster.  Another one was cut from the 53 man roster during his rookie year.  Although he made the team this year, it still meant that after his rookie preseason, 31 other teams could have obtained his services for the league minimum salary and didn't want him.  It also means we could have likely had him for free if we didn't draft him.  As for 2023, again, I admit it's early, but if we're giving early grades, it's not particularly good.  We took 7 defensive players.  If I've done my math correctly, they've combined on defense for 4 combined tackles, 2 QB pressures, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception with the interception being a hail mary as time expired in garbage time with the game already won by the Jags.  Again, that's combined for 7 players through 8 games.   We also took a wide receiver with only a 5 yard punt return to his credit, an offensive lineman who hasn't played and a fullback/tight end who is no longer in the league.  I know there's been some injuries, but that's a lot of picks to generate virtually no production.  

As for recent early picks that have been questionable:

Travon Walker (#1 Overall Pick) - He's not bad, but has he played at the level of a #1 overall pick?

Luke Fortner (Top Pick in the Third Round) - He's starting but has a PFF grade this year of 47.2.

Chad Muma (Very Early in Third Round) - He only played 26% of defensive snaps in his rookie season and only 24% this year.  He has a PFF grade this year of 35.7.  

Brenton Strange (Second Round) - He has only played 34% of the offensive snaps.  His PFF grade is 46.5.

Tank Bigsby (Third Round) - He has only played 16% of the offensive snaps.  His PFF grade is 46.2.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not advocating cutting any of this players.  Hopefully, they turn it around and turn into great players.  However, if given a choice right now, yes, I would exchange them for other players available at the spots they were drafted.  I do think there's big question marks on these players.

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