Hello, and welcome to jags Am. I'm Brian Sexton standing in Kai Stevens spot, JP Shadrick sitting in my spot on the couch, and John oser is where he always is. Welcome to jags Am. It's the start of a busy period here in the off season, so let's get right to big things and we'll go with here we go, Jaguars. It feels like we're towards the end of the off the field period of the off season. Free agency, the
salary cap, Josh Allen has done. That leaves us with just the draft, which comes up a week from Thursday. So let me pitch it to you. JP Shadrick first of all, welcome to the show. How's the off season gone in your estimation?
Yeah, so far, so good. Right. They checked some boxes and free agency that was number one priority. A lot of the fans might say, oh, they missed out on Calvin Ridley. That aside. They got Josh Allen done. That was a huge priority for them. So that deal is in the books and ready to roll and they can move forward there and now it's onto the draft and the offseason programs here as well. So, so far, so good in my.
Estimation, John, it seems like most of the questions have already been answered.
Yeah, I think they've done what they had to do. You know, they had to fix center, they had to do some things on the defensive line to get more stout. It feels like they've done that. How free agency actually works, we'll see it play out on the field. But they did as JP said, they checked the boxes. I think they've got themselves in a situation where they can almost
draft just for best available player. I think there's a whole cornerback they need to fill, but I think they know what they want in the draft of that position.
All right back to the big board for big thing too. And that's the lights are on at the midder elector at center. Yesterday the player return for the beginning phases of the off season program. And as guys are walking in and as you guys are getting ready to talk to players today and the coach and the general manager later this week, what's the number one storyline that you were interested in following? John?
Uh, Probably, it's probably pretty obvious. It's probably Trevor to me, all the check boxes stuff, all of the Hey, we fixed defensive tackle, we did this, We did this. Those are all minimal improvements. Trevor Lawrence improving his turnovers, improving his overall efficiency. UH, taking that next step, all votes will rise if the big ship rises JP, no.
Doubt about that, and that's where it starts. But for me, I think it's the bigger picture. You know, how high does this team rise with the tide? You know they were, they were right there on the doorstep and then to the lapse at the end of the last season. Can they get past that mentally as a team And we've they've proven the last two years there at least a nine win football team, different results both years obviously, so what is the next step? And as an organization, how
do they take that? The quarterbacks the number one reason why they could take that step, but everything around that has to be really in good place as well.
I'm kind of laser focused on the same story I've had since the end of last season. That's the offensive line. Obviously, bringing in Mitch Morse and making sure that they were solid with Ezra Cleveland at the left guard spot. We'll see how that plays out both as they get going on the field in May with OTAs and what they
decided to do next week in the draft. Brings us to a question of the draft, and that's the reality or the perception, however you choose to look at it, that the Jaguars must get a wide receiver in the first round, that it's paramount that they go grab that big target and that might mean moving up JP. We're a Roma Dounze, who seems to be the third of the big three. So I asked you because I have a nineteen year old son who is sold on the idea they have to have a receiver, even in a
receiver rich draft. As we're told this one is reality of perception, receivers the number one priority for this team.
I don't think that's reality. They've got receivers they can go play right now. I mean if they didn't have guys to go run on the field in September at wide receiver, then yeah, you probably need one at this moment. Do they need one down the line? Most likely considering the free agency dollars that they've spent at that position.
But I don't think right now is the key and the way that the college football games played right now, there are receivers that should be available that are good, talented, receivers in most every draft in the foreseeable future. So you know, unless all of a sudden, Marvin Harrison's in your lap, I don't think you're trading the farm to go up in the draft to go get some wide receiver, no matter who it is, at least for me at this point.
Yeah, I think your little guys can be disappointed. I mean it's I think it's perception that it's a need. I think there's a little bit of a narrative that because they tried to pay Ridley and I guess they reported we went after the San Francisco wide receiver. You know that they're desperate at that position. I don't feel that. I don't think they'll go that route. I don't think they think they need to go that route. There's a
belief with this offense. I mean, the Chiefs Eagles when Peterson was there, can play without a number one as long as you've got three or four really good options. They've got that. I think they'll go receiver second or third round, because, as you said, Brian, it's a deep draft. I sorry, little man, I think you're gonna be disappointed.
Listen and he'll see this. John and he's gonna go, what the hell is John's problem? But none of it right, none of us can really answer that. But just shifted it back real quick to the idea of how long
it takes for a receiver, even a top receiver. You know, if it's Marvin Harrison junior or elite neighbors or Roma Donze, there's no guarantee, even though they're physically talented and produced at the highest levels of college football, that they're going to be able to come in and be that difference maker as a rookie. Job.
Yeah, it happens more now because the game, the college game is more wide open. It's still a different kind of passing game than the NFL, but you do see it more you started to do with Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase, guys like that come in and make a huge impact. But at its core, it's almost a different sport the NFL than college football. So it's not a guarantee that guys come in and I contribute right away at the
elite level. Now that being said, I'm going to talk about both sides of my mouth, where there's a belief where second and third even fourth round guys this year can come in and be a part of something. I think that's what they need more in anything. The perception that they need a one. Look, I don't know that they need a one. If Christian Kirkins a Jones are healthy on the field the entire year, or whoever's if it's a third round receiver who comes in and takes
one of those guys' spot. If they get eight touchdowns seven hundred and fifty yards out of four different guys, that puts them at the top of the league in passing. They think this bunch can get them.
That just one more thought. The Falcons years ago, JP traded an entire draft essentially to go get Julio Jones, a guy I know you know from your days at Alabama. You saw Marvin Harrison this year when you did the Michigan Ohio State game. Is Marvin Harrison to Julio Jones? Is he worth that sort of a move up? Not saying that the Jaguars and the team to do that, but that anybody might be willing to give up a host of draft picks to go find.
Him, big, strong and fast. Is he Julio? How many people are a great question, But if anybody could kind of follow in those footsteps. It feels like Harrison could be that guy. Had a huge game of career high catches against Penn State, including the game ceiling touchdown late in that one across her and he kind of went up the sideline and and then of course in the Michigan game they fell in that game, but he had some catches in that outing as well. Big, tall, strong, fast,
bloodlines everything you want in Marvin Harrison. So he yeah, he could be that guy. Somebody makes a move up to go get if you really feel like you need a number one type receiver? Is he Julio?
Who is?
But we'll find out maybe ten or fifteen years.
All right, fellas, those are your big things when we come back. We hear all the time that it takes three years to accurately put a grade on a draft class. Well, it's been three years since the twenty twenty one class, which was selected by Trent Bulky. So we'll take a look at where the Jaguars are with the twenty twenty one class, the production they've got, their hopes for the future, and what the twenty twenty one draft class should be graded at when we return here on Jags Am move
the freight, move the frame, folks. The good folks at Magellan invite you to join their team at Magellan Transport Logistics, which has been voted some of the coolest office space in town. Visit Magellan dot com and move the freight, all right, Bryan Sexon back with you, sitting in for Kay Stevens. JP Shatick is kind enough to join us today. Edward.
By the way, this is early in the morning, is it for you? It depends on the day before.
I suppose all those late nights. Where were you last night at nine to fifteens? It's great, It's nice to have you. Are you okay with that?
John? What's that having? JPP?
Okay?
So, look, we talk all the time. When the draft class is selected. Everyone wants to throw a grade on it. It's clickbait on the different websites, and people want to be able to make flash judgments. Three years later, though, we can take an accurate look I think at the twenty twenty one draft class, which is clearly one of the biggest in Jaguars history, with Trevor Lawrence at the very top of it. So let's put a grade on it, right.
Let me throw these guys out to you, and you see right there that there are six players from that draft class who are either starters or contributors. And obviously, Trevor Lawrence has a seventeen and sixteen regular season record the last two years, has a playoff win and a playoff loss, fifty nine touchdowns or fifty eight touchdowns, thirty nine interceptions, and we know that he had turnover issues
last year. And we'll stay in the first round. Travis Etn back to back thousand yard seasons after missing his rookie year, seventeen touchdowns and some really big plays. If that made the biggest play of his career is that twenty five yard run on fourth down against the Chargers to set up the game winning field goal. A's on both of those first picks.
Yeah, I think certainly for Etn, right, I mean, the way he's played and those big moments he talked about and the touchdowns, and he's starting to really feels like coming to his own as a running back. The Trevor Lawrence stuff, right, you know, the first year kind of wash thrown out because of the urban stuff and the playoff run. Yeah, he was great down the stretch of that, but he also had four turnovers in the playoff game and against the Chargers ended up winning the game coming back.
So let's see, let's see what happens this year. I think you will find out more about the great on Lawrence this year than you'll even know before, because if it's not happening this year, then there are some huge questions, which brings the other question, do you make the deal now and move get get done with that? Has he shown you enough? I think it's a B plus for Trevor right now. I think he's still.
Got some more approve Yeah. It's it's so hard to grade number one overall quarterback because if he's not Mahomes standing there with the trophy, people are like, well he's a bust. I mean, it's not either of those things. I think he's he's still trending, right. I don't want to not put a grade on it, so I'll go. I think B plus is about right. He's certainly not an F. He's certainly not a D or a C.
So he's getting there. And I think if it wasn't, you know, you can't do this because he was number one overall, But if there wasn't so much focus, I think people are automatically Oh yeah, a good pick. But it's it's Trevor, It's it's everything he was supposed to be. Has he lived up to being the second Coming? Not yet, but he's not shown that he's not that yet, So I think B plus is fine.
All right, Well, let's move to the second round. And I think we learned last year how valuable Tyson Campbell was. You remember he had the hamstring injury against the Colts that just seemed to linger into December. But truthfully, I don't think he looked like himself the rest of the year. He has been a very productive player for this football team. I think he has seven interceptions.
Yeah it feels like that. And he's gotten better with the ball in the air. Remember early in his career, you know, he had troubled down the field and looking back losing the ball and then losing the defector and he's standing in the end zone with the football. So he's gotten better as the years have gone on. Let's see it in the system, right, this is supposed to be a press, you know, up against the line and a lot of contact, bump and run type of system.
Can Tyson do that? I think he has the ability to do that, and he's been a good player for this team.
Buss.
Yeah, oh yeah, you asked for a Yeah, I'll give him a bee.
Okay, I think there's if.
You're gonna be a front line corner, there are some things that he has not shown to be that top tier, number one lockdown corner.
Yeah. I'm gonna say, b With it's so hard because we're coming off the season. Like you said, it just feels like a lost season. You had to pick against Indianapolis. Beyond that, you can't really remember very much that he did. I've got to believe, based on what we saw from twenty twenty two that the reason we didn't see much was the hamster. Yeah, so almost a bee with an asterisk if he what he was. He felt really good
about him in twenty twenty two. But coming off a hammy, you know, you want to see complete, you know, fifteen out of seventeen games going one hundred percent. So he again, he's a hard guy to grade for me because I want to be able to rely on it, and it feels like be with an incomplete.
All right, let's stay in the second round. John Walker Little forty games played, nine starts. He started at left tackle, he started at right tackle, he started at left guard. He's been a pretty versatile player. I don't think he's he's quite reached the level that we thought when we first came as a rookie, where he looked so athletic
and so powerful. Obviously, he's one of the highest rated the recruits coming out of high school when he came out, and there was a top player at Stanford before getting hurt. What do you see from him because he's in the final year of his deal.
Yeah, I thought I'm waffling on this, but if he's a third rounder, I feel like it's a beat second rounder. I feel like it's a C because you've got to sort of live up to draft potential. He didn't grasp or didn't grab a hold of that left tackle spot last year or a starting position, So he's going into a swing tackle that's valuable for the Jaguars and they're a better team with Walker little on it and he's
an asset. But in terms of draft grade, i'd say, you know, the minus C plus in there because he was a second round pick and you sort of think by year four that should be a.
Start, you know, to be fair, when Cam Robinson got hurt against the Cowboys at the end of the twenty twenty two season, Walker Little stepped in and the momentum didn't stop. He played very well down the stretch and into the playoffs. So we have seen some really good football from them.
Joal arguments that he was better than Cam Robinson down the stretch. I mean, we had Jeff Flaghman and some of those guys. I'm here saying just that that Walker Little's performance was better at that moment. Did it carry over? Did he win the job? Did he win the right tackle?
No?
Against Jawan Taylor, did.
He It may have been injuries. There's some injuries to him last year, so maybe it's not fair to say, well he wasn't this or that. But but to.
Your point, Cam Robinson was the second round pick, first pick of the second round. He was a starter right away and has not been off the field right second round pick should be starters sooner rather than later if they're not day one, and for whatever the circumstances were around here, he has not been able to overcome that and become a day to day starter.
Well, look, my perception is is that the Jaguars have a hole to fill at left tackle going into the twenty twenty five season because Cam's deal ends this year and Walker's on the final year of his rookie year. He hasn't had a chance or, as you've mentioned, claimed that job. So you go, well, look the future set at left tackle, and I don't know that he can do that this year because he's not going to be the starter. John you mentioned he's a swing.
Yeah, I think Anton's gonna go over there at that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
By the way, I didn't give you a grede c plus.
Okay, all right, well let's let's go to the third round. Andre Cisco. He's the guy who has seven interceptions. I got that wrong earlier. I think Tyson has three, but seven interceptions the last two years. He didn't play a lot as a rookie and has been an impact player for this team back there in the heart of.
The defense, yago be. I mean he's been really really good at times. Again, a third round pick. You like the production where he a first round pick, you'd you know, so for third round pick, very very good, and I think he's still got some steps to take. I mean, can see how he transitions to this defense. Uh big sort of what the book on him was, big play guy is gonna make picks, nose for the ball. He's had that. The entire secondary him included. Had some breakdowns last year that you didn't like.
He's gotten better at that over the years. Just the ball hawking and stuff that was promised has really come into fruition. So would you go with B plus B Yeah, give me a B minus because I think he can be better than these been shown. And that's not a knock against what he's done. He's done very well, but I think his ceiling is much higher than and his expectations for himself, I think are much higher than you
might realize. So there's a lot left on the table for Andre Cisco, and I think he can go get.
It all right. The final contributor from the twenty twenty one Jaguars NFL Draft class is tight end Luke Ferrell. Twelve starts in three years, but eight of them last year. They threw to him a couple of times last year. He's not a big receiving tight end, but I had more than one coach tell me that they thought that he was a gifted blocking tight end. A guy that you could really the equal up or greater than Chris Manhertz, who's pretty good around here.
For a few years, can I go past fail? Yeah, they pass.
Fifth round pick. I get it.
Seven million tight ends and what's the standard for a blocking tight end?
Yeah, and he's been good. I think when you drafted him, there was that little joke where you google them. The baseball player Luke Ferrell came up and he had to post that this is not me so out of sort of obscurity. He has carved his way into a big role here and I think he'll play in the league for ten twelve years. So for a fifth round to pass a big pass with probably if I was forced to give a grade of BB plus, you got to light out of pick.
Yeah. I mean, but you're you're current. It's a curve scale because.
Which thankful the fore you they had in college.
That's right. I was not a blocking tight end, but I felt sometimes so that Yeah, that makes sense to me, right, John, You know, he's he has a certain role here. You've got other tight ends that are going down the field catching balls. Put them stats obviously never had one hundred and fourteen catches. I mean that's that's not what he's going to be. Maybe in a situation here there he gets his hand on the football. I'm with you, John, it's it's a solid player.
He's gonna play in the league a long time.
Yeah.
So fifth round pick if you're going to play ten years, A lot of fifth round picks are out of lee.
So there's six starters contributors from the draft class.
J T.
Feley the defensive tackle from sc IS in Cincinnati, Jordan Smith the pass rusher out of the game, Jayalen Camp, the wide receiver out of the game. So how about an overall grade on a draft class with five starters and its significant contributor in Luke Ferrell, I'd say b.
I mean, it maybe hard to give an A because you don't have beyond what Trevor won Pro Bowl. You don't have like huge, you know, the face of the league guy yet. But it also is a class that clearly helped pull you out of the abyss and set the tone for two back to back winning seasons. So it's certainly not a bad class. And how Trevor. If Trevor's Trevor, it's an A.
If everybody else is a bus Yeah, It's a B for me, and it can improve to an A if some of these guys get to their next deal and stick around and you know, prove that they can be cornerstone players for this organization.
So be with room to grow.
Yeah, if they win a super Bowl while he's here, Andy, Trevor's in the Hall of Fame, it's the greatest draft in his plus plus plus it all will be ultimately, you know this is great in ten years, it'll be graded on him.
With that to be said, I'll go with a B plus because you did get five starters and a guy here, and we hadn't seen productive drafts like that in a long time, So lean that way. Also, I guess the optimism I have for who Trevor Lawrence is going to be in his fourth season pushes me in that direction. But that's it. After three years, we can take a look at it, and I think that's a fair way to grade it.
Were the twenty class, No, okay, okay, just make it.
Sure, no, no, all right. When we come back, we'll turn to this year's draft, the twenty twenty four class. We'll look a little bit at the defensive line and some prospects and probabilities of what the Jaguars could be looking at. That's next on jags Am. Jaguars fans here up at fanatics dot com with all the latest Jaguars styles. Shop now and get today's special offer. Fanatics dot Com officially licensed everything and welcome back to jag z Am.
From the Hundai studios inside the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Brian John JP joining us today, we turn our attention to the twenty twenty four NFL Draft. We talked receiver, We've talked cornerback, We've talked offensive line ad nauseum. But on the heels of the Josh Allen signing late last week, I thought maybe we'd take a look at the defensive line.
But before we get started looking at names, how probable do you think it is that the Jaguars could spend a first round pick on someone in their front seven on defense.
If the draft board in the first round forces it, I think it could happen. I don't know that they're going in with that at the top of their priority list.
Eric Arms, that obviously changed that, Yeah.
And obviously it did. You still want to draft with a five year plan. I'm not sure Eric's a five year plan at this point in his career. I hope he is. So if there's a guy there who you think is dominant, who is a big time player, it's more palpable to draft that on the defensive line sometimes in the offensive line, meaning you rotate so much on the defensive line you can get production even if he's not a quote starter, so you can lean that way. I'd be surprised if that's the pick. It's not a
there's a couple of tackles in the first round. It's not a great class for it. So the couple of guys maybe off the board and not makes sense. But philosophically, no problem with it, because you're never going to go wrong if you draft a really, really good interior defensive line.
That's about the front seven. Yeah, that includes linebackers, and they've dge rushers. They've drafted linebackers so many linebackers around here in the last two years. I don't think you go that high with the linement. Maybe I'm wrong, but and you've got the edge rushers. They're set in place for a long time to come. I don't think it's there. If it's anything, it's an interior d lineman, but I
think percentage chance pretty low. I mean, considering all the other things that they could use more quickly than that.
Well, at seventeen it seems to be the sweet spot. There will be a couple of cornerbacks around that area as well as offensive linemen. But just for argument's sake, let's take a look at the edge rushers. Because what if a guy like Jared Verse falls to you, right,
you can never have enough pass rush. We always go back to the Giants and feeding the undefeated Patriots in January of two thousand and eight, and Jared versus a guy it's hard to kind of figure out where he falls in this equation, but hyper productive at Florida State for the last couple of years.
I think he tested pretty well too, John. I remember right at the combine and really showed up there, which was a lot of people who were looking for that workout and really flat pretty well. But a good, solid player, and we'll see what the future holds. Reverse.
Look, it's the same philosophy that I just discussed. If you draft him, if you think he's a disruptive force and is going to be a five or six year front line big time players say five or six hitsies with the contract lines up, then there's nothing wrong with the pick because you're in nickel more than you are anything else. You're in pass rest situations. You can find a place to move Trayvon Walker. If you think that Josh Allen and a rookie can have impact, you can
move guys around this league and impact the quarterbacks. So if this is the best player on the board at seventeen, there's always a strong argument for if you have best pass rusher and best cornerback on the board and they're graded equally. I'm a guy who says take the pass rusher because that guy can disrupt every play. A cornerback affects one only affects it if you throw at him.
It doesn't seem logical because last year you had Travel and Josh combined for twenty seven and a half sacks, which was the most by a duo in the NFL last year.
You can be great if you're dominant up front exactly.
So let's turn our attention to the defensive tackles because there are a couple in particular Byron Murphy, Johnny Newton from Illinois, Chris Jenkins from Michigan, who's a guy I know you saw when you were doing some college football last year. It's probable that all three of these guys
are sitting there at seventeen. You don't need it. So this might be a spot if this is the best player on the board, that you're backing up right, kind of like the Jaguars did last year where they back out of twenty four and made themselves available all the way at twenty seven to grab the guy they really wanted.
Yeah, so much of this is it's hard for us to predict this because we don't know. If Trent Balky and the brain trust looks at Byron Murphy and said this is Aaron Donald, then who cares.
Yeah, it doesn't matter if you take it.
What you have on the roster. So, not knowing their passions on certain players, and with.
Ryan Nielsen in his first year as the defensive coordinator, it's hard to project.
So again it's such a cop out. But if this guy's great, take him because he's going to disrupt the game. I don't think that's the route they go because I think I think cornerback is such a glaring need that it makes sense. But there's nothing wrong with him or new JP.
No, what's Devon Hamilton's health status? Yeah, I think that might have a little.
Bit serious issues to deal with last year.
Right as he passed those. You know, he was trying to get back later in the season last year, but it was it was so dramatic and such a big injury for him. So is he right? And I think that might tell you a whole lot about what they think about this position.
Moving ahead, Oh, Reclus, they have Armstead can move around to us, So there's so many moving parts. It's always hard these days. Are any the same problem at safety? Sometimes two in linebacker? We're used to talking about terms from the nineteen nineties. Everybody's in so many sub packages now and everybody moves around so much. You know, it's okay to have guys who can move around on the front of your defensive line, and they have the versatility
to do that. So sliding one more guy in there can make an impact might make sense.
If they do nothing on the defensive line next week during the draft, are they still in a great spot for next year? Are they in a good spot next year or do you think they will have missed an opportunity.
I think they're in a great spot next year with all the guys they have they've they've signed. They've got Josh Allen, They've got Treyvon Walker who can move around. They've got Roy Robertson Harris, They've got Devon Hamilton if he's fully healthy. They've got all these pieces that they've had in free agency, in the draft collectively together in the front four, front five, whatever combination you want to use of that. I think they're in a great spot,
at least for next year. Now, two three years down the line, there's always questions, but for next season, this should be one of the top defensive lines in the AFC.
I think they're in a great spot. You remember when you used to have like good Christmases, didn't quite get the present you wanted. Jared Verse, a guy like that, add one more pass rusher to a really good group could be like when your dad left the bike outside.
What's in the corner in the corner.
Yeah, So I could see fans out there right now going though, I really want one more pass rusher. I can see Trent Balky not saying it to me, but boy, I really would love to have that impact. So very very good there one more guy can make them dominant if it's an impact rookie.
Which is why we had the conversation, even though it doesn't seem likely for the Jaguars to address the defensive line, at least not in the first round. All right, we'll come back and wrap up this edition of jags Am from the Hundai Studios inside the middle of Electric Center. A good this, all right, back to wrap it up here on a Tuesday jags a m from the Hyundai Studios. I mentioned the nineteen year old who wanted to talk
receiver yesterday. He also wanted to talk about the promo for the new uniforms, well, the old uniforms, the throwbacks that appear to be returning this year, as I hide you guys out hype.
Yeah, it's cool, right, I mean, they're cool. The throwback is fun, and we'll see what the full thing looks like. I mean, we only saw the logo, the full cat logo.
That was called when it first came out. I remember the press conference it was called the Prowler, the pro the Prowler, right, and they put it on the sleeves. Now I've seen the mock ups. I think there's one with Trevor A photos deal of Trevor wearing it. It's cool, Okay, it'd be fun.
Look, it's not something that I'm overly passionate about. Yeah, but fans are fired up for Yeah, they are so good for them.
You know what would make it look a whole lot better if they won that game. They could wear polka dots. I don't care as long as they win.
The game always comes back to the bottom line.
No offensive polka dots.
All right, Thanks for jumping into this.
Great to see.
We'll hear from some players today, the coach and the general manager. We'll talk on Thursday, and I'm sure you'll cover all of that on Jaguars Happy.
We'll have it on of course. Huddle Up is the name of the podcast Wednesday.
That's right with Bucky Brooks.
I've heard of him, so we got that and of course Happy Hour Thursday.
Right. Much more ahead here, it's kind of getting to be a busy week. In the next week. I'm headed for Detroit, so to this show. We'll be live on Wednesday from Detroit and from the Hyundai studios, so we'll see you then. Thanks for joining us on Jags Am