Yesterday afternoon marked the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft. This weekend will surely go down in history, as it was the first virtual draft in the history of the NFL. This weekend also marks a new piece of Jaguars history as the team made a franchise-record 12 selections. Let’s recap the 7 rounds and look forward to the roles each of these rookies might have on the field whenever that time comes.
Round 1 Pick 9
CJ Henderson CB Florida
Just as I said in my mock draft, ever since his spectacular performance at the scouting combine CJ had been slowly climbing up big boards across the league. Jacksonville gets a top tier cover corner that will immediately step into a starting position. The biggest concern surrounding Henderson is his tackling ability. Seeing him play many times at Florida I don’t believe this to be a major concern and apparently neither do Dave Caldwell or Doug Marrone. He has the skill set and athletic abilities to be a lockdown corner in Jacksonville for years to come and fill the void of former 5th overall pick Jalen Ramsey.
Round 1 Pick 20
K’Lavon Chaisson DE LSU
The more tape I watch of Chaisson the more I fall in love with this pick for the Jags. He consistently demonstrates more bend off the edge than Dante Fowler Jr. did during his years at Florida and Jacksonville took him all the way up at 3rd overall in 2015. Chaisson shined the brightest in the biggest games. In pursuit of their national title, LSU went through a gauntlet, including 7 games versus top 10 opponents. In just those 7 games Chaisson racked up 41 total tackles and 5 sacks. His most dominant games coming against Florida, Alabama and Oklahoma. He looks to be an absolute steal at pick 20 and if their Friday night Instagram live is any indication Jaguars star defensive end, Josh Allen is already very excited to be teammates.
Round 2 Pick 42
Laviska Shenault Jr. WR Colorado
He burst onto the college football scene in 2018 leading the FBS with 9.6 receptions per game during that season and earning a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. His toughness is not a question but his durability is. His competitiveness and ball skills are top tier. If it wasn’t for the missed time and drop in production due to injuries in 2019 he could’ve easily been a first-round selection. His speed, flexibility to play all receiver positions and scrappy nature lead to Shenault having a super high ceiling in Jacksonville.
Round 3 Pick 73
DaVon Hamilton DT Ohio State
Even after putting together a solid senior season in Columbus, Hamilton is still a bit of a reach in round 3, but fills a position of need for the Jags. His size and athletic combination are rare to find at the nose tackle position. He has a powerful initial strike off the snap and pairs that with a strong burst. Combining his upside as a pass rusher with the young talented defensive ends in Jacksonville (Allen and Chaisson) could let Hamilton see a lot of production early in his career. He joins Abry Jones and 2018 first-round pick Taven Bryan on the interior of the Jags defensive line.
Round 4 Pick 116
Ben Bartch OT St. John’s University of Minnesota
He started his college career as a tight end but quickly put on weight and became a dominant division 3 tackle. His biggest boost came at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. Bartch proved that playing at a smaller school should have no effect on his draft stock. He also hilariously shared the recipe to his special shake that he used to achieve his weight gain over his college years. He’s currently 309 pounds and will be a developmental player for coach Doug Marrone who has a long history as an offensive line coach at both the collegiate and pro level.
Round 4 Pick 137
Josiah Scott CB Michigan State
Scott tallied 13 starts in his Junior year and lead the Spartans with 3 interceptions. He is a value pick for the Jags in the fourth round and helps a truly depleted secondary. He is a bit undersized for the next level at 5’ 9” but his coverage talent could propel him into a nickel role with the Jags if anything were to happen to returning starter DJ Hayden.
Round 4 Pick 140
Shaquille Quarterman LB Miami
Quarterman is coming back to his hometown. He played for Oakleaf high school and was highly recruited to the University of Miami. He was a four-year starter at middle linebacker for the Hurricanes and earned first-team All-ACC honors in his senior year. In that senior season he put up over 100 total tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss. He’s a proven leader and is durable. However, he lacks quickness to the ball and the agility needed to succeed in the NFL. He shapes up to be a solid backup and has the potential to be a force on special teams units as well.
Round 5 Pick 157
Daniel Thomas S Auburn
A staple of the Tiger defense for the past 2 seasons Thomas was the starting strong safety for Auburn in all 13 games both years. His strength and build allowed him to play a physical style of football. This was a necessity playing in the SEC and lead to successful 74 tackle campaigns in both his junior and senior years. Like Quarterman, he figures to be a special teams contributor and a great insurance policy behind 2018 3rd round pick Ronnie Harrison who played at rival school Alabama.
Round 5 Pick 165
Collin Johnson WR Texas
This is one of my favorite picks of the draft for Jacksonville. I could watch his highlights for hours on end. For his 6’ 6” build he is surprisingly shifty. He doesn’t possess burner speed but will still be able to hold his own against NFL corners with his size and hops. He dealt with a hamstring issue most of 2019 but still demonstrated his strengths as a downfield jump ball weapon. If Johnson is schemed correctly he posses solid hands and can overpower smaller defenders especially in zone looks.
Round 6 Pick 189
Jake Luton QB Oregon St.
This now marks back to back years that Caldwell has looked out west for a late-round quarterback. The former Beaver was apart of a pro-style system at Oregon State and has that prototypical build that everyone talks about with quarterbacks. He had an impressive senior season highlighted by his 28:3 touchdown to interception ratio. With only 2 quarterbacks on the roster (Gardner Minshew and Josh Dobbs) Luton will have a fair chance at making the Jaguars 53 man roster.
Round 6 Pick 206
Tyler Davis TE Georgia Tech
This pick was a bit of a head-scratcher honestly. Davis played 4 college seasons, 3 of which were at Uconn before becoming a grad transfer at Georgia Tech. During those 4 years he only had 64 total receptions, 648 yards and 8 touchdowns. His lackluster statistics make me wonder how the Jags gave him a 6th round grade. Perhaps it was his captain status at Georgia Tech, despite only being on the team for a single season that boosted his draft stock.
Round 7 Pick 223
Chris Claybrooks CB/RS Memphis
The last of the 12 picks for the Jags lands them a super speedy return specialist from Memphis. He shapes up to be not much more than a special team player being used both as a returner and gunner. He has a very raw defensive skill set due to his recent position change to corner but this could see vast improvement over camp. His senior season is highlighted by an impressive 26 yard per kickoff return average and a 94-yard touchdown return in the Tigers game versus the Cincinnati Bearcats.