2010 Jaguars Draft Recap

By: Jake

In what was the most insane first round of an NFL draft I’ve ever seen, the Jaguars may have made one of the most intriguing picks in Tyson Alualu. Alualu was a late riser on the boards right before the draft and was kept pretty much a secret by most NFL insiders but was rumored to go to the Dolphins at pick 12 and the Jaguars couldn’t risk not getting their disruptive DT that they wanted. The Jaguars had no 2nd round pick due to trading it to the Patriots for the pick that yielded Derek Cox last year, but their 3rd round pick was a questionable one. DT D’Anthony Smith was another pick very few knew about but added another body to the much deprived Defensive Line who only recorded 12 sacks last year and gave up a lot on the ground. Smith, a 6’2” 305 lb run stuffer from Louisiana Tech should be extremely good depth at DT and could get significant time if John Henderson is traded in the near future. The next round the Jaguars were able to execute a great trade in which they exchanged their 4th for the Raiders 5th and MLB Kirk Morrison. The Raiders could not work out a contract with Morrison and he became expendable after the team used their 1st round pick on MLB Rolando McClain. Morrison was exactly what the Jaguars needed at MLB after they rotated Durant, D. Smith and even sometime Russell Allen at MLB last year. Morrison has never missed a game in his Pro career and has recorded triple digit tackles in every year also. At 28, he’s a young player who will fit perfectly in the Jags defense and allow Smith and Durant to be even more effective on the outside. Morrison’s deal however is only 1 year deal and the Jaguars will need to resign him next year if they want to keep his services for any longer duration of time.

With no 4th round pick the Jaguars had to wait until the 4th round to pick again and they didn’t hesitate to add more depth and talent to the D-Line as they chose De/OLB Larry Hart from Central Arkansas and Austen Lane from Murray State. Of those two, the more recognizable name is Lane who stands at 6’ 6” and 276 lbs and recorded 12 sacks last year with 22 TFL. Lane was given a 3rd round pick grade by CBS Sportsline so it looks like the Jaguars got great value here in a position of need. 6th round pick Deji Karim from Southern Illinois represents the 4th player in a row taken from a small school. When looking at him, many Jaguars fans can’t help to see a little Maurice Jones-Drew in him, as even his number was similar to MJD’s (31). The 5’9” RB scored 20 times in 2009 and averaged 7.1 ypc in his Senior year at S. Illinois along contributing 2,339 all purpose yards for the Salukis that year. Karim will likely be the Jaguars opening day Kick Returner according to GM Gene Smith. With their final pick in the draft the Jaguars selected their PR for next year in CB Scotty McGee from James Madison.

Tyson Who? You'll See

By: Jake

Although the Bills started the cascade of surprising picks and questionable trades drafting RB CJ Spiller, the Jaguars definitely raised some eyebrows with the next pick selecting DT/DE Tyson Alualu of Cal. The Hawaiian defensive tackle was thought by many to have a low first or high second grade on him by many experts, yet the Jaguars went ahead and chose him with the 10th pick in the 2010 draft. A few other teams like Miami and Tennessee were also rumored to have an interest in him, which likely scared Jaguars GM Gene Smith into picking him instead of pulling a similar trade to that of the 49ers who traded back 3 spots and only netted an extra 4th rounder. The Dolphins picked at 12 and the Jaguars did not feel like they could have come out of that scenario with Alualu and the extra 4th so he was the pick at #10. Another curios thing to think about is what would the situation have been if the Bills and Raiders had not drafted two of the Jaguars most highly thought of prospects in Spiller and Rolando McClain who the Jaguars were supposedly very high on? All of that is a moot point now as many Jaguars fans are getting more and more used to the pick and beginning to accept Alualu and his awesome last name into the Jaguars family. And frankly after they watch the tape on him, its hard to blame them for their optimism. Gene Smith had an extremely good draft last year, taking two immediate starters on the O-Line, a starting CB who led the team in INT, and a WR who recorded the most receptions for a rookie in Jaguars history, surpassing Maurice Jones-Drew’s record set n his rookie year. On top of those players, he also took TE Zach Miller who was really looking like his fellow Zach Miller in Oakland with his speed and YAC ability throughout the season. Smith didn’t stop there with the productive picks, as 7th round pick Rashad Jennings was the spell back for Maurice Jones-Drew out playing RB Chauncey Washington who many were high on coming off the 2008 campaign.

Some Jaguars fans are worried however, abut the lack of an exciting player being chosen with the #10 overall pick as sagging ticket sales is something they’re beginning to grow weary of hearing about. Many believe a sexy pick like QB Jimmy Clausen who was available at that pick would have boosted revenue and brought an excitement to the team that is needed to sell out a stadium. GM Gene Smith ahs other ideas about that way of approaching the draft, ““I’m not trying to win a popularity contest. I’m about winning a Super Bowl,” he said at the press conference after Day 1 of the draft. And while some people are skeptical of the pick, others like Vic Ketchman of Jaguars.com is happy with the pick and the way that Gene Smith is attacking the draft. In his article about the Alualu pick, he stated that Gene knows that you build a team from the inside out and drafting outstanding DTs and OT’s is the way you win the battles in the trenches and ultimately the game. It is widely known that the Jaguars were worst in the league in pass rushing last year as they recorded only 14 sacks the entire year even after drafting Des with their two first round picks two years ago. The selection of Alualu and the addition of Aaron Kampman in the offseason were clearly direct attempts to fix that gaping hole in the defense that prevented the Jaguars from being effective on the defensive side specifically against the pass. Whether or not this pick will end up being the right one will only be answered in time and at this time we can only speculate. This Jaguars fan however, remains optimistic and trusts the man making the decisions.