Before we touch on his own personal status and history as a player, let's first review the rest of the 2013 first round to see how Caldwell could have done better.

 

1. KC Fisher OT - I remember being surprised they took Fisher over Joeckel. They did it for athleticism and size over pedigree and production and his level of play right now is suffering. I'm glad KC took him instead of us, we got the better end of the deal.

 

2. JAX Joeckel OT - More on our boy later.

 

3. MIA Jordan DE/OLB - I really wanted Jordan before the draft for our LEO role but we might have dodged a bullet here. However, he has been horribly mismanaged by the Dolphins' staff. He was a do-it-all freak athlete as an OLB. But they tried to make him a four down DE, which he didn't have the strength for. He used PEDs to try to get stronger and got banned for it. His short-term career with the Phins is in doubt.

 

4. PHI Johnson OT - So far the best performer out of the top three OTs due to athleticism and scheme, although he did take a hit for PED use as well. Could possibly make an argument he should have been the pick, but you'd have to use hindsight (which isn't fair to anyone).

 

5. DET Ansah DE - I think this is probably the most viable prospect to be proposed instead of Luke. He fits the LEO role, is an athletic marvel, and has been consistently productive for the Lions. In Dave's defense, though, he was extremely raw coming out, especially at a position renowned for first-round busts.

 

6. CLE Mingo OLB - Has struggled to make an impact behind Sheard and Kruger. I was always kinda sketched out by this guy so I'm not really surprised. (Love his name though)

 

7. ARI Cooper OG - Actually has some similarities with Luke in that he missed his first year and spent an offseason rehabbing instead of improving. I think he will be fine long-term though.

 

8. STL Austin WR -  Wasn't even the best wide receiver last year and has had struggles due to a QB issue and a lack of physical tools.

 

9.  NYJ Milliner CB - Has consistently struggled, faced benchings, and injuries over his first two years, although he could possibly be turning the corner this offseason (remains to be seen due to the organizational changes up there though)

 

10. TEN Warmack OG - He's played at a consistently upper tier level, but has also been plagued by penalties. He and Lewan should be pretty strong going forward, however.

 

11. SD Fluker OT - Has stuck at RT and been punishing in the run game and sufficient in the pass pro. A solid pick.

 

12. OAK Hayden CB - Has all the tools but has been completely hampered by injuries. Complete waste so far but still some hope if he recovers.

 

13. NYJ Richardson DL - Absolute stud. No one thought he would be this good. In hindsight he would also compete for our 2 pick but we aren't going by hindsight.

 

14. CAR Star (can't spell his last name) DL - Also playing extremely well. Had some medical concerns leading up to the draft, but this is about his value, I think.

 

15. NO Vaccarro DB - Played well his first season but regressed a bit this year, probably due to some issues with his defense's pass rush.

 

16. BUF Manuel QB - Complete bust. If he can't do something this year he's done.

 

17. PITT Jones LB - Another guy I liked before the draft, but he has struggled to make the field due to injuries and performance.

 

18. SF Reid DB - Played consistently solid this year and lost. Not fantastic but not terrible.

 

19. NYG Pugh OG - Struggled at tackle then was kicked to guard and has been solid, not that great.

 

20. CHI Long OG - Did extremely well his first year and to my knowledge has maintained that level of play this year. Good pick.

 

21. CIN Eifert TE - Didn't do much his first year but has been better this year. Definitely the best tight end from this class. Solid pick.

 

22. ATL Trufant CB - Slam dunk pick. One of the best DBs in the NFL regardless of age or position. Really great job.

 

23. MIN Floyd DT - Fell massively on draft day, and now it's easy to see why. His short arms are a major concern still and he never figured out how to take on a double-team.

 

24. IND Werner DE - Struggled last year but has developed into an effective 34 OLB. Well done by them.

 

25. MIN Rhodes CB - Has been a consistently effective man corner and should continue to do well.

 

26. GB Jones DL - Hasn't really made an impact, not a very solid pick IMO. He's maxed out physically and never had great athleticism, especially for their defense.

 

27.  HOU Hopkins WR - Excellent value here. Has developed into a fantastic 2 and could be their 1 when Andre finally calls it a career. This guy will be a Jag killer for a while.

 

28. DEN Williams DT - Has almost zero playing time his first two years, due to a lack of skill and strength of competition.

 

29. MIN Patterson WR - Has pretty much lived up to his pre-draft billing as an immensely talented receiver with questionable motivation.

 

30. STL Ogletree OLB - This extremely athletic linebacker has played well for the Rams as a part of an immensely talented, if underachieving, front seven.

 

31. DAL Frederick C - Though I literally laughed at this pick, it proved to be a good one. Frederick has been one of the best centers in the league and is a big part of a Dallas O line that is currently the best in the world.

 

32. BAL Elam S - Has been a consistent though not superb SS in Ed Reed's absence.

 

So, what was the point of that?

 

Look at that first round. The top ten is a mess outside of Warmack, Ansah, and Fluker. The entire round is full of disappointments. Caldwell was at the top of the draft, took a player that was universally (with the apparent exception of KC) appraised as the best player in the draft and took him. IMO the only other pick that would have made sense was Ziggy Ansah, and he was an incredible risk, too much so for a first-year GM.

 

Seriously, anyone who thinks Caldwell could have made a considerably better pick (without using the gift of hindsight) is fooling themselves. Now onto what Luke has done since coming here.

 

He spent his first NFL offseason at a position that is, despite what message board GMs tell you, quite different than his natural one. Then, after four games, he was switched back to his natural position for a quarter, where he shined before going out with an injury.

 

Now before we move on - the Monroe trade was not a bad one by Caldwell. I think it might be (second to netting our long-term center off of Gabbert) his craftiest move since being here. Why? He had an above average player on the left side who he was almost surely going to be unable to re-sign (Monroe), with a rookie with higher upside playing out of position to accommodate him (Luke). He saw an opportunity to get picks out of a player who otherwise would've gotten us nothing. So he made the trade, and invested  in the future of this franchise... picks that eventually netted us two of our brightest young defensive stars, Telvin and Colvin.

 

Now about Joeckel himself. He still hasn't had a full season of improving as an LT in the NFL. He has phenomenal athleticism and foot technique for his size. He will spend this offseason doing what he needs, and has wanted to do, which is getting stronger and working on hand placement. People who know a lot more about tackle in the NFL than I (Matt Miller and Boselli come to mind) think this kid will be fine. I defer to them.

 

So stop getting your panties in a wad and realize that the acquisition of Joeckel was one of the first successes of this organization.

 

TLDR: Joeckel was the only reasonable pick to make at our 2013 first round pick, the Monroe trade was a brilliant move, and Joeckel finally has time and ability to develop into one of the league's better left tackles. Stop whining and be patient.

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"Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:26

2015 NFL Draft - Analyzing Targets www.jungle.jaguars.com/index.php?/topic/7892-2015-nfl-draft-analyzing-targets/

Though I disagree with your Womack assessment, I think this is well conceived and written.


Joeckel's play concerns me a great deal, however.


Hopefully with a full year's experience under his belt, an off season to refine his techniques and improve his strength, and a new system with better protections, he will play better and Bortles won't be pressured as much.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

I wanted Ansah and I think Gus and them had him at the Senior Bowl and saw how he got down. The Joke was a predetermined pick like Bortles. Really wish the Chiefs would've taken him to see what Caldwell would've done.

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I wanted Ansah and I think Gus and them had him at the Senior Bowl and saw how he got down. The Joke was a predetermined pick like Bortles. Really wish the Chiefs would've taken him to see what Caldwell would've done.

I don't understand this post.

 

1.  You seem to have an issue with a pick being "predetermined."  Aside from him not knowing which players other teams will take (Houston could have taken Bortles, as could the Rams; The Chiefs could have taken Joeckel), do you really want a GM on the clock not knowing who to pick?

 

2.  Really wish the Chiefs would have taken who?  Ansah?  Bortles?  Joeckel?

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Haze if Joeckel went to KC, we would've had Fisher, as Calwell has stated. The point is that out of the options we had, almost all except for Ziggy turned out bad of their own accord, while Luke has been struggling due to circumstance, and his acquisition allowed us to get Telvin and Colvin.

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"Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:26

2015 NFL Draft - Analyzing Targets www.jungle.jaguars.com/index.php?/topic/7892-2015-nfl-draft-analyzing-targets/

Warmack and Cooper have been horrible. 

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Sometimes, drafts are bad.  Sometimes the top of drafts are bad.

 

The top of the 2013 draft is reminiscent of the 1987 and 1991 drafts.

 

http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/years/1987

 

http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/years/1991

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Ignore the draft and evaluate the player on form.

 

Based on form, Joeckel is awful at the moment and hardly at NFL standard.

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R.I.P. Stroudcrowd1

Will there be a Poll next on how bad he sucks? Or did I miss it amongst the other knee jerk polls and post on here.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/kkpugh726/albums

its hard to attract good players to jacksonville and we traded our best first round pick in forever for scraps and only to end up with joeckel. 

i still hope he pans out but you just dont trade players that actually develops.  now instead of having a solid LT for the next 5-7 years its another position of need if joeckel keeps struggling.

 

sure we couldve drafted a bust at another position but we would still have an LT

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its hard to attract good players to jacksonville and we traded our best first round pick in forever for scraps and only to end up with joeckel.

i still hope he pans out but you just dont trade players that actually develops. now instead of having a solid LT for the next 5-7 years its another position of need if joeckel keeps struggling.


sure we couldve drafted a bust at another position but we would still have an LT

A. Calling a player a bust after one season is childish.


B. Monroe got us Telvin and Colvin.


Essentially if Joeckel pans out we will have traded Monroe and the second pick in 2013 for an upgrade at left tackle, a pro bowl lb, and a stud corner. Sounds good to me.

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"Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:26

2015 NFL Draft - Analyzing Targets www.jungle.jaguars.com/index.php?/topic/7892-2015-nfl-draft-analyzing-targets/

A. Calling a player a bust after one season is childish.


B. Monroe got us Telvin and Colvin.


Essentially if Joeckel pans out we will have traded Monroe and the second pick in 2013 for an upgrade at left tackle, a pro bowl lb, and a stud corner. Sounds good to me.

where did i call joeckel a bust?

 

monroe got us colvin and chris smith

 

and esentially if we kept monroe and our 2013 pick pans out, we have a legit LT, maybe a DE for the future and the pro bowl lb you speak of.

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A. Calling a player a bust after one season is childish.


B. Monroe got us Telvin and Colvin.


Essentially if Joeckel pans out we will have traded Monroe and the second pick in 2013 for an upgrade at left tackle, a pro bowl lb, and a stud corner. Sounds good to me.

A: it's two years.

B: you know it would be great news if only one of those three things happen.

I'm optimistic about Telvin Smith for sure.

Colvin has played well but I also am not about to say he's on his way to being a stud just yet. He's only played sparingly.

At this point the Jaguars are just hoping that Joeckel can become a serviceable LT. Anything more than that is simply blind faith.

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Did Eifert even play this year?

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Did Eifert even play this year?

He did in the preseason that's the last I heard of him haha.

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"Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:26

2015 NFL Draft - Analyzing Targets www.jungle.jaguars.com/index.php?/topic/7892-2015-nfl-draft-analyzing-targets/

He did in the preseason that's the last I heard of him haha.

Travis Kelce is the best TE from that class

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Matt Elam? Consistent? You should do your research before making such a ludicrous claim. He makes Cyprien look like Ed Reed. 

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Matt Elam? Consistent? You should do your research before making such a ludicrous claim. He makes Cyprien look like Ed Reed.

I'm mainly going off of last year. Im on the other side of the world ride now so staying intimately informed with every roster in the league is difficult.

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"Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Galatians 5:26

2015 NFL Draft - Analyzing Targets www.jungle.jaguars.com/index.php?/topic/7892-2015-nfl-draft-analyzing-targets/

He had a decent LT in Euguen Monroe what he didnt have at the time was any pass rushing DE so the most sense wouldve been to draft DE Ansah or to trade out of the first round for more picks knowing that the team was going to be rebuilt entirely during his first couple of years as the new GM.

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He had a decent LT in Euguen Monroe what he didnt have at the time was any pass rushing DE so the most sense wouldve been to draft DE Ansah or to trade out of the first round for more picks knowing that the team was going to be rebuilt entirely during his first couple of years as the new GM.

But given how raw Ansah was, that would have been a huge risk.

 

In retrospect, yeah it might have been the best thing, but at the time, Joeckel was more of a sure thing.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!