The Jacksonville Jaguars made a major splash in free agency with Julius Thomas and now after missing out on top names at RB, players like Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, TJ Yeldon, Ameer Abdullah and Duke Johnson could be potential draft options for the team, while players like Ben Tate, Pierre Thomas, Steven Jackson and Knowshon Moreno are free agent names they could go after.
The Jaguars are coming into the draft with the number three overall pick and many draft experts predict the team will go with Amari Cooper at wide receiver. According to Todd McShay at ESPN, Cooper will be the pick, but others have suggested that Leonard Williams could be an option if the Titans do not take him at number two. The Jags are happy with Blake Bortles right now and that means they will likely not look at Marcus Mariota as a draft option.
The team has some young receivers in Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns and Justin Blackmon after losing Cecil Shorts, but Cooper is so good they may take him even with that position having some depth. Cooper had a monster season at Alabama and he would give Bortles a legitimate number one target. Williams is also a name to watch, as he is considered to be the top defensive player in the draft and he could join Jared Odrick on the defensive line after the Jags signed him in free agency.
After the first round the Jaguars may look at adding a running back, as they some depth with Denard Robinson, Storm Johnson and Bernard Pierce, but none of those players are a true number one. Robinson put up solid numbers last season, but he is on the smaller side for running backs, while Pierce is coming in after the team signed him following his release by the Ravens.
Gurley could be the first running back off the board and he comes in after dealing with a suspension and an ACL injury last season. Gurley still had over 900 yards and is considered to be one of the top backs in the draft coming out of Georgia. Gordon was one of the leaders in rushing in college football during his career and he had over 2400 yards last season and 29 touchdowns and he also rushed for nearly 5000 yards in his career at Wisconsin.
The draft class at RB is deep and that is why the Jaguars likely will have the chance to add a solid prospect at the position this year. Past those top names are players like Duke Johnson, Davis Johnson, Tevin Coleman and Ameer Abdullah, who could be a strong dual threat back coming out of Nebraska. Coleman had a very good season last year, setting a school record at Indiana with over 2000 yards and he also had 15 touchdowns. Johnson is a speedy back and he comes in after putting up 10 TDs and rushing for over 1600 yards last season.
The free agent class is getting slim and the team may look at the draft as a better option after already adding Pierce. Names like Steven Jackson, Stevan Ridley, Knowshon Moreno and Pierre Thomas are available, but with Pierce already signed the Jaguars may sit out the rest of free agency at running back.
