(12-23-2022, 10:53 AM)Caldrac Wrote: (12-23-2022, 10:30 AM)DTWD4∞ Wrote: This ^^^ absolutely this. The trenches is the basis of winning. once you get your qb of course lol oh and your coach lololol. Hopefully they mover Travon to DE and maybe grab an edge rusher in the draft but guard is a concern for me. i think we have our center, Cam should be back and Walker Little looks nfl caliber now so i think both guard spots are of need due to S.cherff's age Cornerback is a need also so if we get a starting guard, olb and cb in the draft then some more linemen i think we may be set up to win a lot of games. IF Ridley is what we hope he is
Realistically I think this team can backfill the nickel CB spot in RD3 or later (Riley Moss from Iowa, Garrett Williams from Syracuse) if Darious Williams continues to shine on the outside opposite of Campbell. I am all for them going offensive line and defensive line early. Hope they tag or resign Engram though. Just one less position to worry about.
The Jaguars recent streak has caused me to look differently at the 2023 draft as well as off-season salary cap management. The following assumptions about this team and subsequent transactions are:
1. Trevor Lawrence makes all his receivers much better players. While it would be a great luxury to draft someone like Quinten Johnston, this offense has proven an elite number 1 receiver is not a pre-requisite to becoming a playoff team. Pederson showed this with the Eagles and there is no reason to believe he won't continue this with the Jaguars. The Jags obviously need to re-sign Engram and Agnew. Those two added to Kirk and Zay Jones are more than sufficient for Lawrence/Pederson to continue to pick-apart the defenses they face.
2. If the Jaguars do win the AFC South and pick somewhere in the low to mid-20's, which positions of need are likely to provide good value for the team? It looks like there will be very good players at the positions of cornerback and edge rusher. As Caldrac has noted, the improvement of Darious Williams at 2nd corner should enable the team to wait until round 3 for this position. I am in agreement with DTWD4 that Walker's best position is defensive end. People with much more expertise in this area than me like Lageman, Boselli, Prisco, etc. believe that this is the position he would thrive at. Two players I would be very interested in at the Edge are Jared Verse of FSU and B.J. Ojulari from LSU. Both of these players possess the traits necessary to succeed as Edge rushers alongside Josh Allen.
3. Walker Little should be fine replacing Taylor at right tackle. Taylor has had a solid season and will get a nice deal in free agency from another team. The offensive line should be addressed in the draft during rounds 2 or 3 to provide necessary depth. Adding a guard and tackle would be important as injuries are bound to occur to starters. There are several possibilities in round 2 like Andrew Vorhees of USC and Anton Harrison of Oklahoma. Ideally, they would select someone with the versatility to play tackle or guard.
To sum up:
1. Re-sign Engram, Agnew and keep Jenkins.
2. Griffin and Chaisson are let go to save money. Taylor is not re-signed to further help team stay under the cap. Robertson-Harris and Smoot may also need to be let go. Depending on Smoot's injury, they should make every effort to re-sign one of these players. Arden Key is also likely to get a better deal elsewhere.
3. Move Walker to defensive end and draft an Edge with the first pick. Offensive line and cornerback should also be addressed during day 2 of the draft.
4. Keep Trevor Lawrence happy. As long as he's our quarterback, this team will remain perennial playoff contenders!
