With less than a week until the NFL draft is underway, teams are or should have finalized their boards by now.  Fortunately, we fans aren't under the same time constraints, even though we also don't have the good fortune of scouting for a living.  Thus we can still formulate some opinions on players up until now and leading up to the draft.  With this in mind, these are some of the last minute opinions I have formulated/am formulating on players.  Some I am getting my first real look at the players.  In other instances, I am reviewing.  But I figured it may be worth a thread to see how our opinions on these players in this year's draft class continue to evolve.  So here goes, some of my last minute looks at this year's draft class.


1.  Although safety has been an issue for this team for a while, I admit I haven't felt that safety would be much of a priority for the team.  Pederson has made it a point to emphasize the trenches in most of his talk about the priority for this offseason.  Accordingly, I haven't devoted much time to the position.  Having devoted a little more attention to the position, I would rank the top three players at S as

1.  Jaquan Brisker
2.  Daxton Hill
3.  Louis Cine

There was a time not tool long ago where I would shy away from Penn State DBs because they hadn't produced many good pros at all.  But now there seems to be a greater emphasis on speed and athleticism under the current coaching staff there.  U think Brisker embodies that new paradigm, as he is the total package.  He is capable of dominating as a box safety, quickly diagnosing plays, taking proper angles, attacking the LOS and making sure, physical tackles on the ball carrier.  However, he has also demonstrated good range and hands in pass coverage, and plays the ball well.

Right behind him, I have Doxton Hill.  To me, Hill seems more of the FS type, but he is all around the ball.  He has good timing and anticipation, and has the hands to get the ball back for you.  Seems to play with an enthusiasm.

Finally, there is a guy that is often linked to the Jaguars-Georgia S Louis Cine.  Cine is more of a pure in the box S than the other two.  He would make perfect sense as an heir to Cam Chancellor from the Legion of Boom days in Seattle.  He would be a good fit under our old scheme.  He hits a ton, but despite his speed, there seems to be some stiffness to his game.  I'm not sure I feel comfortable with his ability to flip his hips, turn and go.  He does NOT have the hands to get the turnover for you.  Any turnovers he creates will be forcing fumbles.  But he would be my 3rd ranked S.

2.  I also got some last minute looks at WR I haven't focused on in Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton, Memphis WR Calvin Austin and Tennessee WR Velus Jones.  Now Pederson indicated this year's WR class is top heavy and not as deep as prior classes.  I'm not sure if he is factoring increased demand at the position, but based on these guys, teams should be able to find contributors into the 3rd round.  Jones and Thornton have decent height, but none of these guys strike me as being overly physical receivers.  I would have concern about them being able to escape the jam at the LOS, but while I would put Austin in the slot, I would be inclined to keep Thornton and Jones outside and develop them.  Thornton has the pure speed you'd like.  I think Velus Jones  has good speed too, but I really like him after the catch.  He also has good return ability.

What do you think?  Any of you guys have any last minute takes?

More to come...

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

You should watch Pitre too and get back to us. I typically see them ranked with Hill or Cine 1/2 pretty interchangeably and then Pitre before Brisker.

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https://twitter.com/pff_austingayle/stat...B_eqIpgSVg

I would still take Dotson at 33.

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I would still take Dotson at 33.

The problem is, as was very well described in the underdog WR video, he doesn't win outside vs man. His heat map was very red outside at the LOS and very blue outside and , and then over the middle intermediate from the slot. Basically all of his outside catches were soft zone short screens. He was doing nothing downfield outside vs man.

Draft him to be a legitimate outside WR in the NFL at your own peril IMO. He can do some crosser stuff from Z part time, but he isn't fixing our X problem. It's almost like a reverse Justin Jefferson situation lol.

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You should watch Pitre too and get back to us. I typically see them ranked with Hill or Cine 1/2 pretty interchangeably and then Pitre before Brisker.

Fair enough.

Pitre is an interesting combination.  He's a tremendous athlete, almost a hybrid between slot corner and box safety.  He plays mostly in the short hook zones/underneath, but is not a true "thumper" in the Chancellor mode.  He has excellent ball skills for the INT and PBU underneath.  To me, what sets him apart fro the other safeties I've discussed in this thread is he times his blitzes better than any safety I've seen since Troy Polamalu.

The only question I have about him is his ability to make plays downfield, where he would come from centerfield turn, and cover deep, and that's because it seems Baylor didn't ask him to do that much.  I've seen Hill and Brisker do that.  I think he has the athleticism to do that, but I think the Baylor coaches used him properly.

If I add him to the rankings,

1.  Brisker
2.  Pitre
3,  Hill
4.  Cine

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Yeah they are all in the same tier so it's pretty impossible to quibble with how someone decides to rank them IMO. I think they all have a lot to offer and they would all fit swimmingly next to Cisco.

That said, I don't expect S at 33 so I don't think we're getting any of them.

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Yeah they are all in the same tier so it's pretty impossible to quibble with how someone decides to rank them IMO. I think they all have a lot to offer and they would all fit swimmingly next to Cisco.

That said, I don't expect S at 33 so I don't think we're getting any of them.

Well, part of the issue is I have no clue how Caldwell plans to utilize the S, whether they will go with an in the box S or a 2 deep look.  That would make a difference as to who I would prefer for the Jaguars/

I haven't expected the Jaguars to make an investment at S this year, which is why I haven't studied the position much.  There are some talented guys there, though.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

To be honest, the Safeties at the top of this draft other than Hamilton are pretty much interchangeable. None are standouts, but all have very good talent. Personally, I would rank them....

1. Cine
2. Hill
3. Brisker
4. Pitre

but I could easily see why other people would rank them differently. I really don't think any of them will end up being Jaguars though. I think we'll probably target Safety on day 3 and if we do, I really like J.T. Woods of Baylor. He's a ballhawk and is pretty good in run support as well. The problem is that he is rising fast and may not make it to day 3. I also have seen us connected to Kerby Joseph of Illinois. He is a good player, but not as dynamic a playmaker as Woods is. He'd still be a huge upgrade over Rashawn Jenkins, who I really don't like. My sleeper is Nick Cross of Maryland. He is extremely athletic, but sometimes takes too many risks and gets out of position at times. If he can be "coached up" and learn to play with a little more discipline, he might end up being a steal in the later rounds.

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To be honest, the Safeties at the top of this draft other than Hamilton are pretty much interchangeable. None are standouts, but all have very good talent. Personally, I would rank them....

1. Cine
2. Hill
3. Brisker
4. Pitre

but I could easily see why other people would rank them differently. I really don't think any of them will end up being Jaguars though. I think we'll probably target Safety on day 3 and if we do, I really like J.T. Woods of Baylor. He's a ballhawk and is pretty good in run support as well. The problem is that he is rising fast and may not make it to day 3. I also have seen us connected to Kerby Joseph of Illinois. He is a good player, but not as dynamic a playmaker as Woods is. He'd still be a huge upgrade over Rashawn Jenkins, who I really don't like. My sleeper is Nick Cross of Maryland. He is extremely athletic, but sometimes takes too many risks and gets out of position at times. If he can be "coached up" and learn to play with a little more discipline, he might end up being a steal in the later rounds.

Not a Top safety, but should be there later is Smoke Monday.  Hard hitter, plays with an attitude, but has some development needed on coverage. Plays special teams well.

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A new broom always sweeps clean.

To be honest, the Safeties at the top of this draft other than Hamilton are pretty much interchangeable. None are standouts, but all have very good talent. Personally, I would rank them....

1. Cine
2. Hill
3. Brisker
4. Pitre

but I could easily see why other people would rank them differently. I really don't think any of them will end up being Jaguars though. I think we'll probably target Safety on day 3 and if we do, I really like J.T. Woods of Baylor. He's a ballhawk and is pretty good in run support as well. The problem is that he is rising fast and may not make it to day 3. I also have seen us connected to Kerby Joseph of Illinois. He is a good player, but not as dynamic a playmaker as Woods is. He'd still be a huge upgrade over Rashawn Jenkins, who I really don't like. My sleeper is Nick Cross of Maryland. He is extremely athletic, but sometimes takes too many risks and gets out of position at times. If he can be "coached up" and learn to play with a little more discipline, he might end up being a steal in the later rounds.

Not a Top safety, but should be there later is Smoke Monday.  Hard hitter, plays with an attitude, but has some development needed on coverage. Plays special teams well.

Sorry, but not sure I can trust a DB named "Smoke."

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

This year, in my mind, there have been three main center prospects for the Jaguars to consider: Linderbaum, Lindstrom, and, depending on how you see him, Zion Johnson.

But now, I add one more to this list: Nebraska's Cam Jurgens.

Nebraska once had a legendary college program for offensive linemen, in part due to that awesome weight program. However, Nebraska linemen had the reputation for being stiff (recall Zach Weigert). The last really athletic lineman to come out of the Nebraska program was Kansas City's Will Shields. But Cam Jurgens, appears to break that stiff mold, and looks like he could be a relatively rare talent, not only by Nebraska standards, but by center standards.

https://youtu.be/2MZ0iLMbuqQ
Much like Dermontti Dawson, Jurgens has the ability to pull well and get to the second level and the outside edge, which will help tremendously on screens. He shows good strength at the point of attack, and has better size than Linderbaum. The talk now is that the Jaguars are considering him at the top of the 2nd round.

I want to see him aganst a bigger NT, but I certainly like him more than Lindstrom at this point.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

FWIW
https://twitter.com/dpbrugler/status/151...0206916608

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Super Raw but good god that athletic profile.
https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1519033570706157568

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Not a Top safety, but should be there later is Smoke Monday.  Hard hitter, plays with an attitude, but has some development needed on coverage. Plays special teams well.

Sorry, but not sure I can trust a DB named "Smoke."

LOL ... Good thing he is a safety then...oh and an Auburn guy..you know i had to work one of those into the conversation being the homer I am.

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A new broom always sweeps clean.

FWIW
https://twitter.com/dpbrugler/status/151...0206916608

I LOVE Andersen and I'm intrigued by Belton as a late round pick. I hate Bo Melton though. Melton is extremely unproductive and shows no real consistent athleticism when it comes to actual games. There are many times where he looks like he's not even trying. I hate guys who don't give 100% effort.

Andersen should be gone by round 3, if not sooner. He is one of the highest rated ILB's in this draft. I would be ecstatic if we landed him.

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Super Raw but good god that athletic profile.
https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1519033570706157568

If Muma isn’t there in the 3rd, this is the guy I want. In fact, I want him anyway. Lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Sorry, but not sure I can trust a DB named "Smoke."

LOL ... Good thing he is a safety then...oh and an Auburn guy..you know i had to work one of those into the conversation being the homer I am.

As an NFL fan, I am big on colleges and the players they produce.

Auburn is an interesting school from that perspective.

I would not hesitate to take an Aubuirn RB (William Andres, James Brooks, Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, Stephen Davis,Cadillac Williams).  Auburn has produced some good offensive linemen over the years (Steve Wallace, Marcus McNeil) some decent DTs (Derrick Brown, Senderrick Marks, Gary Walker), and great LBs (Kevin greene, Takeo Spikes).  But for whatever reason, they haven't produced many good WRs (Frank Sanders was the best), and almost no DBs (Wahington had  a guy named Carlos Rogers a few years back) but none of them were ever dominant players.  I wouldn't trust an Auburn DB, but they manage to get good talent at the school.  It's far from the only school to have a dynamic like that.  As great of a program as Miami has been, for years, they never produced any good DEs until Calais Campbell.  Their CBs weren't that good either, though they produced a slew of good-great safeties (Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Bennie Blades, Darryl Williams).

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

LOL ... Good thing he is a safety then...oh and an Auburn guy..you know i had to work one of those into the conversation being the homer I am.

As an NFL fan, I am big on colleges and the players they produce.

Auburn is an interesting school from that perspective.

I would not hesitate to take an Aubuirn RB (William Andres, James Brooks, Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, Stephen Davis,Cadillac Williams).  Auburn has produced some good offensive linemen over the years (Steve Wallace, Marcus McNeil) some decent DTs (Derrick Brown, Senderrick Marks, Gary Walker), and great LBs (Kevin greene, Takeo Spikes).  But for whatever reason, they haven't produced many good WRs (Frank Sanders was the best), and almost no DBs (Wahington had  a guy named Carlos Rogers a few years back) but none of them were ever dominant players.  I wouldn't trust an Auburn DB, but they manage to get good talent at the school.  It's far from the only school to have a dynamic like that.  As great of a program as Miami has been, for years, they never produced any good DEs until Calais Campbell.  Their CBs weren't that good either, though they produced a slew of good-great safeties (Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Bennie Blades, Darryl Williams).

You might want to take a look at where Rudy Ford and Daniel Thomas went to school....

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A new broom always sweeps clean.

As an NFL fan, I am big on colleges and the players they produce.

Auburn is an interesting school from that perspective.

I would not hesitate to take an Aubuirn RB (William Andres, James Brooks, Bo Jackson, Ronnie Brown, Stephen Davis,Cadillac Williams).  Auburn has produced some good offensive linemen over the years (Steve Wallace, Marcus McNeil) some decent DTs (Derrick Brown, Senderrick Marks, Gary Walker), and great LBs (Kevin greene, Takeo Spikes).  But for whatever reason, they haven't produced many good WRs (Frank Sanders was the best), and almost no DBs (Wahington had  a guy named Carlos Rogers a few years back) but none of them were ever dominant players.  I wouldn't trust an Auburn DB, but they manage to get good talent at the school.  It's far from the only school to have a dynamic like that.  As great of a program as Miami has been, for years, they never produced any good DEs until Calais Campbell.  Their CBs weren't that good either, though they produced a slew of good-great safeties (Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Bennie Blades, Darryl Williams).

You might want to take a look at where Rudy Ford and Daniel Thomas went to school....

Neither of them are dominant guys, either.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!