Category: Jawaan Taylor

Jay Gruden excited to see the progress Jawaan Taylor makes in second season

Jaguars coordinator Jay Gruden seems fond of some of the pieces in place in Jacksonville and Jawaan Taylor is clearly among them.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew II isn’t the only player who fans are excited about from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2019 rookie class as the team’s early selections showed promise, too. Of course, the first name that comes to mind is Josh Allen, who beat the Jags’ rookie sack record with 10.5 and was nominated to the Pro Bowl.

The second player is someone who went under-the-radar in offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, who already appears to have made a fan of new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. In this week’s video call with the media, Gruden was asked about rather or not he was excited about the growth of the young tackle and it led to a bunch of high praise towards him.

“One hundred percent, yes,” said Gruden in the Zoom conference. “He’s long, he’s athletic and he plays with the tenacity that you love from a tackle. I am very excited to get to work with him at right tackle. He can run, he can pull, he can get out there on screens, he’s physical in the running game and he can pass protect, he’s got great feet. He’s got every quality that you want in an offensive tackle and the more experience he gets and handing some of the movement up front, the better he’s going to be.”

Talk about high praise for the second-year player.

Gruden’s fondness towards Taylor isn’t shocking when looking at what he had in Washington. On the blindside for his group was Trent Williams, who was a massive force at 6-foot-5, 318 pounds. While Taylor (6-foot-5, 312-pounds) plays on the opposite side, the traits that Gruden explained are very identical to those of Williams, who is a seven-time Pro Bowler.

Taylor will be coming off a rookie season where he struggled early and garnered 16 total penalties, good for second in the league. However, during the last quarter of the season, he played significantly better and many have been excited to see his growth in 2020. He also proved to be an ironman for the Jags and was the only rookie in the league to play in 100% of his snaps, so Gruden also is probably impressed with his toughness, too.

Jags depth chart prediction: Offensive line

Jags fans entered 2020 with a lot of concerns about the OL and with the team only drafting one player on the unit, it may not change.

We started our depth chart predictions around this time last week and have previewed the quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends, and receivers so far. That leaves just one unit on the offensive side: the offensive line. Here are our predictions for how the unit could turn out in the trenches:

Left tackle Left guard Center Right Guard Right Tackle
No. 1 Cam Robinson Andrew Norwell Brandon Linder A.J. Cann Jawaan Taylor
No. 2 Will Richardson KC McDermott Tyler Shatley Ben Bartch* Ryan Pope
No. 3 Blake Hance Tyler Gauthier Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms* Steven Nielsen*

Left tackle

Cam Robinson will enter 2020 as the starter and will be on a contract year. It appears he might also have some competition to remain a starter as the Jags will be letting Will Richardson settle in at left tackle, too. Right now, I’d say the edge goes to Robinson, but it’s probably not a certainty as he’s been up and down on the blindside.

Behind them could be Blake Hance, who will be entering his second season but has no starts to his name. When looking at his background, however, he was a starter for multiple years at left tackle in college at Northwestern University.

Left guard

Andrew Norwell has been underwhelming since joining the Jags in 2018 via free agency. The team renegotiated his deal this offseason but he still will come with a $9 million (all guaranteed) price tag, so he’ll be starting.

It’s unknown who will be a reserve behind Norwell at left guard, so I slotted KC McDermott there for the time being. He’s been developing on the team’s practice squad for two seasons and it’s about time he enters the season on the final roster as he played at a variety of offensive line spots in college at Miami.

Center

There aren’t many who would disagree that Brandon Linder is the best offensive lineman on the team. As one of the team’s generals, he’ll enter 2020 with another solid season behind him as he registered a 75.3 Pro Football Focus grade, good for the best on the offensive line.

Behind him will be the Jags’ most experienced reserve offensive lineman in Tyler Shatley. He’ll enter 2020 with 16 starts, and like Linder, he possesses the ability to play both guard and center if the team has to do some shuffling.

Tyler Gauthier joined the team in early December of last year as a reserve. He previously played guard and center during the preseason process with the New England Patriots but was designated to their practice squad in the regular season. With a solid preseason, he has a small shot to make the roster on the back end, but if not, he’s a perfect candidate for practice squad.

Right guard

While it hasn’t always been pretty, A.J. Cann will come into the 2020 season as one of the team’s most experienced players, with 75 career starts to his name. He’ll have some competition from fourth-round rookie selection, Ben Bartch, who the team believes is a developmental project for now.

Behind those two could be the massive Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms (6-foot-5, 330-pounds), who went undrafted in April’s draft. He could be a sleeper to make the team after being a starter for Missouri since 2017 and earning all-conference honors in 2018.

Right tackle

Rookie Jawaan Taylor started in every game for the Jags a right tackle and finished strong after struggling mightily with penalties earlier in the season. He’ should only get better with more experience and fans should be encouraged about his future.

Behind him on the depth chart could be Ryan Pope, who joined the Jags’ practice squad last year as an undrafted free agent. Before that, he spent time on the Detroit Lions’ and San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad so he’s unproven on the NFL level. He’ll get an opportunity to prove himself as a practice squad candidate in the preseason and it will likely come at the right or left tackle positions when considering his background at San Diego State.

As for undrafted free agent Steven Nielsen, a majority of his collegiate starts at Eastern Michigan came at right guard, which makes him a candidate to battle Pope for a practice squad spot this offseason.

4 players from the Jags offense who could take a step forward

With the additions made to the Jags’ roster, Cam Robinson is just one of several offensive guys who could make tremendous strides in 2020.

The Jacksonville Jaguars as a whole must improve as 2018-19 has left fans beyond disappointed. If they are to make progress, their offense especially will need to make strides because we’re now at a day and age where the most successful teams are the ones that put up a lot of points.

After finishing 26th offensively last season (with an average of 18.8 points per game), the front office knew adjustments had to be made, and while they catered to the offense more, they certainly didn’t leave the defense hanging. Now, it will be a matter of putting it all together during the offseason and preseason, then letting their work speak in the regular season.

The new acquisitions made to the team shouldn’t only help the Jags improve offensively, but they should also help some of the key players from the 2019 unit get better, too. Here are four names we think will take a step forward in 2020 thanks to the additions made by the front office:

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

QB Gardner Minshew II

While the Jags didn’t add a starter on the offensive line for Gardner Minshew II (unless Ben Bartch replaces someone), he could still take a big step forward. The reason for that is because the Jags might be right to gamble on the offensive line taking a step forward after spending a lot of investments into the unit.

The other key reason Minshew could flourish is because of the pass-catching options the Jags added. Granted he will have to stay healthy, Laviska Shenault Jr. could be a solid No. 2 receiver who alleviates the pressure off of Pro Bowler D.J. Chark Jr.

The other key pass-catchers that will be added into the mix are tight ends Tyler Eifert, who also needs to stay healthy, Josh Oliver, and James O’Shaughnessy. Eifert, a former Pro Bowler, knows the system better than anyone at the moment as he played under coordinator Jay Gruden in Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, O’Shaughnessy was Minshew’s favorite target early in the 2019 season before going on injured reserve, while Oliver built a strong bond with him in training camp. If they can pick up where they left off, it would be huge for the second-year quarterback.

The bigger question is rather or not the progress Minshew makes is significant enough to prevent the Jags from taking a quarterback early next year. In a recent episode of the “Bleav in Jags” podcast, I personally said Minshew needs to look like a top-12 quarterback or better to prevent the Jags from finding another starter.

If he doesn’t and the Jags find themselves in the top-10 of the draft order again, they definitely should explore options in the draft. If he does, and they are still in the top-10, picks it would probably be better if they continued forward with him and spent their draft pick elsewhere.

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Worst case scenario for Jags’ No. 9, No. 20 picks: Reaching at QB, OT

Whilst most are full of optimism ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, this is a quick outline of some situations Jaguars fans should be wary of.

We are just a few hours away from the start of the 2020 NFL Draft and finding out who the newest members of the Jacksonville Jaguars are. The Jaguars own two first-round picks tonight, both in the top-20, which leaves them in position to draft multiple starting, potentially Pro-Bowl level prospects.

Now, will they draft two Pro-Bowl talents tonight? We can hope so.
Does Dave Caldwell have the propensity to miss on first-round picks? History says, yes.

So, what would have to happen for it to all go wrong? Well, the front office would have to fail to recognize quite how bad the current roster is. After shipping away so many starting players this offseason, and with Yannick Ngakoue and Leonard Fournette rumored to be on the move, the team looks a shadow of its 2019 self, let alone that of the playoff team two years ago.

Despite landing free-agent linebacker Joe Schobert last month, the Jaguars have question marks at just about every position on the roster. With such a lack of talent on the team, the Jaguars can almost throw away any draft plan and just take the best players available. Within reason.

The Jaguars do have needs everywhere, but some of them are more pressing than others. It was made apparent last year that despite the heavy resources that have been put into it, the offensive line isn’t good enough. Therefore, the Jaguars should be looking to secure one of the three top offensive tackles with the No. 9 overall pick.

Now, if a prospect like Isaiah Simmons or Jeff Okudah somehow falls to No. 9, all is forgiven. What couldn’t be forgiven, is if the Jaguars reach on an average quarterback to challenge Gardner Minshew II in the top-10.
There are two legitimate starting quarterback prospects in this year’s class, and both Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa are likely to be long gone before Jacksonville takes the virtual podium. Now, if Tagovailoa somehow slides, then Caldwell would be wise to make him a Jaguar. However, using a top-10 selection on either Justin Herbert or Jordan Love would be a mistake for an offense that is devoid of any identity beyond a Fu Manchu under center.

This isn’t to say Minshew’s position as the franchise quarterback should be infallible, but rather that he should be given the year to decide whether he is the answer or not. If for no other reason than if he isn’t, the Jaguars will be in a prime position to take a legitimate franchise quarterback prospect this time next year.

No single draft class has a 100% hit rate with first-round quarterbacks. In 2017 there was Mitch Trubisky, in 2018 there was Josh Rosen, and last year there was Daniel Jones taken at least 20 spots too early. That isn’t to say neither Herbert or Love will work at the NFL level, but Jacksonville isn’t a place a rookie quarterback will find success in 2020.

To couple this cataclysmic mistake, what should have Jaguars fans be worried about at 20? The answer is simple, and it’s the second tier of offensive tackles. The Jaguars seem to be making a living off taking Day 2 offensive tackles and hoping they work. They did it last year with rookie Jawaan Taylor (who looked good despite the penalties), and they did the same thing back in 2017 with Cam Robinson, who most would say has been hot and cold.

As discussed earlier, the Jaguars’ initial plan for the ninth overall pick should really be one of the top-tier offensive linemen. Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs, and Andrew Thomas all look to have the makings of a franchise tackle. Even Mekhi Becton has the traits and size that scouts will fall in love with and try and justify in the top-10.

After that it gets a bit scary, names like Josh Jones, Austin Jackson, and Ezra Cleveland are beginning to be mentioned for the Jaguars at No. 20. Simply put, instead of taking an offensive tackle outside the top-10, why not do it properly and just get one of the elite tackle prospects. That is if the Jags don’t select an elite defender who slid in the draft.

However, with question marks on the interior, the team would perhaps be better suited looking toward some of the Day 2 interior prospects rather than hoping they can hit reaching on a tackle early.

Talents like Cesar Ruiz, Robert Hunt, or John Simpson would be Day 1 starters at guard and provide further insurance if the team decides to move on from Andrew Norwell after 2020.

Jawaan Taylor talks about getting his penalty issue cleaned up

Jawaan Taylor had a good year as a rookie in 2019, however, he knows there is one key issue he must clean up to be significantly better.

Jacksonville Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor had a pretty productive season as a rookie, becoming the only rookie in the 2019 class to participate in every snap he was eligible for. However, if there is one thing he’d like to clear up, it was the penalties he accumulated as he ended the season with 16, good for second in the league.

“I definitely need to improve on that – for one, just focusing,” Taylor said to the media in a Zoom conference. “A lot were holding penalties or false starts. With the holding penalties, it’s making sure my hands are in the right place. That’s what I’ve bene working on a lot – hand placement, things like that. The false starts are all about focus; I definitely have to improve on that.”

“All of the things I need to improve on, I’ve been working on so far in the offseason. Even though the virus stuff is going on, I focus on certain things I need to get better at. I did go back and looked at certain things I did well. It was a big year for me, I thought, but I could also do a lot better so I’m looking forward to having a good year in this season coming up.”

With the Jags having to train in unconventional ways, the improvement Taylor makes will have to be from his home at the moment. However, when the season rolls around he understands he has to be ready to make a leap and improve upon his 2019 campaign. To do that, he plans on participating in a virtual training course by the team although he’d rather do it up close and personal with his teammates.

“I love the offseason – being around teammates and training together and getting better as a team,” Taylor said, “There are really no excuses. You’ve got to stay in shape in this game. Right now, we’re at the point where we’re all trying to find ways to get better.”

Like Gardner Minshew II and Josh Allen, who were also a part of the Jags 2019 rookie class, it will be interesting to see the strides Taylor makes in 2020. If he puts his issues with penalties behind him and plays as he did during the last stretch of 2019, he could be a part of the nucleus that ultimately turns the Jags’ fortunes around.

Jaguars 2019 draftees land in various spots in first-round re-draft

The Jags had arguably the most productive draft class and they had multiple players go in the first-round of a recent re-draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t have a good 2019 campaign but it wasn’t because of their 2019 draft class. While other parts of the roster blew up in their faces, Tom Coughlin and Dave Caldwell got a great deal of production out of their rookie class.

Some draft analysts have gone on to say the Jags’ 2019 class was the most productive and that showed in a recent 2019 first-round re-draft by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. In fact, three members from the Jags’ 2019 class were selected in defensive end Josh Allen, right tackle Jawaan Taylor, and quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

3. New York Jets: Josh Allen, DE, Kentucky
Original Selection: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama

The New York Jets are the first team to choose differently than they did initially. This is because original selection Quinnen Williams isn’t the best fit for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ system.

“Quinnen is handicapped, in my opinion, by the defense. You put him in Philly, he’s Fletcher Cox,” former NFL edge-rusher Chuck Smith said, per Matt Stypulkoski of NJ.com.

Williams was largely used as a space-eating tackle during his rookie campaign. What Williams’ aggressive scheme needs—and what the Jets lack—is a premier edge-rusher. Therefore, they’ll scoop up former Kentucky sack-artist Josh Allen here.

While Allen wasn’t quite as dominant as Bosa, he’s a fine consolation prize. He finished his inaugural campaign with 10.5 sacks.

The part that they left out was the fact that Allen went to the Pro Bowl, too. While he didn’t garner more tackles than Nick Bosa, he beat him out in the sacks category during the regular season. He also registered one more forced fumble than Bosa. Both feats came despite Allen starting in less games (four) than Bosa (14) and having less defensive snaps than him (634 to 777).

Next, the mock had Taylor going to the Los Angeles Chargers for pick No. 28.

28. Los Angeles Chargers: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
Original Selection: Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame

Philip Rivers is out as the Los Angeles Chargers’ quarterback, but that doesn’t mean that L.A. should ignore its offensive line. The Chargers signed Bryan Bulaga and traded for guard Trai Turner in free agency, but they traded left tackle Russell Okung to get him.

Jawaan Taylor made starts at both right and left tackle in college, as did Bulaga. Adding Taylor gives the Chargers a pair of premier options to compete on the left side, with the loser kicking back to right tackle.

Or, in the event Los Angeles lands the left-handed Tagovailoa in the 2020 draft, the situation could be reversed.

Adding Taylor at least gives the Chargers some flexibility at the tackle spot. If they pass on a quarterback at six this year, they can grab a premier tackle prospect. If they take a signal-caller, they’re not going to have that chance.

Original selection Jerry Tillery, who had just 17 tackles and two sacks as a rookie, isn’t even a consideration here.

Taylor struggled with penalties and finished with 15 on the season, good for the second-most in the NFL. However, during the Jags last stretch of games, he certainly cleared the issue up, played better, and looked like a first-round caliber talent. He also was the only rookie to play 100% of his eligible snaps. Just like Allen, the future is bright for him.

The last Jag to get taken was Minshew, who went last to the New England Patriots.

32. New England Patriots: Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State
Original Selection: N’Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State

New England replacing a Pro Bowl quarterback with a sixth-round surprise? Where have we heard this story before?

The Patriots lost quarterback Tom Brady to the Buccaneers in free agency this offseason. They have second-year man Jarrett Stidham and journeyman Brian Hoyer on the roster, but there’s a chance that neither is the long-term answer at quarterback. Washington State gunslinger Gardner Minshew—originally a sixth-round pick of the Jaguars—could be.

Is Minshew fully proven? Of course not. However, he showed a lot of potential in his first campaign, passing for 3,271 yards with 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Perhaps more importantly for New England, he showed the mentality of a winner.

”I think the biggest thing for me is that I helped my team win, and I did that better than any [first-round] rookie quarterback, so that gets me fired up,” Minshew said, per Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union.

Minshew’s brash personality may not mesh with the Patriot Way, but his pocket presence, accuracy and the boulder-sized chip on his shoulder certainly do.

While Jags fans would hate the sight of this, the Patriots would be scary if they had their potential quarterback of the future in place. Pairing his deep ball accuracy and elusiveness in the pocket with the minds of Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels would have the Patriots in good shape for a post-Tom Brady run. Thankfully, the Jags took a swing on the Mississippi Mustache who prevented the season from being worse than it was by leading them to all of their six 2019 wins, and winning seven Pepsi Rookie of the Year awards.

NFL.com gives Jags an A- for 2019 draft class in season review

In a year where a lot didn’t go right for the Jacksonville Jaguars, many would agree that the team’s 2020 draft class did their part. Count NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice amongst those who were impressed with the group as he gave the Jags’ class an A- in …

In a year where a lot didn’t go right for the Jacksonville Jaguars, many would agree that the team’s 2020 draft class did their part. Count NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice amongst those who were impressed with the group as he gave the Jags’ class an A- in his recent review of the league’s draft classes.

A big reason for praising the class, of course, was the impact of rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II, who went 6-6 as a starter.

Let’s start with the most interesting development in an otherwise-forgettable Jaguars season: MINSHEW MANIA!! OK, I won’t go completelyoverboard here, because let’s be honest: At least some of the allure had to do with the mustache and the headband and the distinct je ne sais quoi that tickled the average football watcher’s fancy. That said, the Jock Strap Kingposted a 21:6 TD-to-INT ratio and went 6-6 as a rookie starter for a team that finished the season at 6-10. Fumbles were an issue, but overall, he clearly outplayed prized free-agent signee Nick Foles.

As many would imagine, Filice also praise the performance of the Jags’ first-round selection, Josh Allen, as he lead all rookies in sacks in 2019 with 10.5.

Five rounds and 171 picks prior, the Jags had Allen fall right into their lap, and the no-brainer selection paid off in a major way, racking up 10.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Resident draft guru Daniel Jeremiah ranked Allen as his No. 5 overall rookie (second on defense, behind only Nick Bosa) and offered this enticing appraisal: “He has the potential to eventually lead the league in sacks.”

Without a doubt, the Jags got two of the most productive rookies in the whole 2020 class between Minshew and Allen, but when you add in the fact that right tackle Jawaan Taylor was the only rookie in the league to play 100% of his snaps, it’s hard not to have hope about the future production of the roster.

In his review, Filice looked ahead to the needs of the Jags heading forward. He stated what many have echoed and that’s the fact that the Jags need to pay Yannick Ngakoue and deemed Marcell Dareus as a player who could be released or restructured to make the cap space for Ngakoue’s deal. He added that Calais Campbell was in the same boat as well as cornerback A.J. Bouye.

Of the three, I believe Campbell, who is the heart and soul of the defense is the most likely to stay. Releasing Dareus, which I feel is likely, would be a tremendous relief off the cap as he’d free up over $20 million.

Bouye on the other hand may have a 50-50 shot to stay or be released. He’d free up over $10 million if released. His fate could boil down to whether or not he wants to restructure, and if he doesn’t, the Jags may look in the draft for an answer.

Jaguars come in at No. 26 spot on PFF’s regular season OL rankings

Without a shadow of a doubt, most Jacksonville Jaguars fans would like to see the team address the offensive line to some degree this offseason. Despite the resources Dave Caldwell and company put into the position with high draft picks and steep …

Without a shadow of a doubt, most Jacksonville Jaguars fans would like to see the team address the offensive line to some degree this offseason. Despite the resources Dave Caldwell and company put into the position with high draft picks and steep contracts, things haven’t quite panned out for the group and it’s hard to envision the team not making any changes within the unit.

The data recently accumulated by Pro Football Focus in 2019 further validates that changes are needed and will likely in the trenches as the Jags finished the regular season with the No. 26 ranked offensive line. According to them, a key reason behind their struggles were partly due to Cam Robinson, who had a rough season though it’s worth noting he was coming off a 2018 ACL tear.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars

After returning from an injury-shortened second season, left tackle Cam Robinson showed more of the form that we saw from him as a rookie when he posted one of the worst pressure rates allowed in the NFL (9.0%). This season, Robinson allowed 45 pressures at left tackle in 552 pass-blocking snaps for a slightly improved — yet, still concerning — rate of 8.2%. As this ranking would suggest, Robinson wasn’t the only player along the line who struggled. Outside of Brandon Linder, there wasn’t a whole lot to get excited about for Jacksonville up front.

According to PFF, Robinson accumulated a grade of 54.8, a total tied for the worse amongst the whole starting offensive line with A.J. Cann. Simply put, that’s not good for someone who the Jags selected in the second-round and hoped could become their franchise player on the blindside. Add in the fact that he was tied for fifth in penalties in the league with 10, and it’s possible the Jags may look for new options at left tackle despite Robinson being young.

However, the young left tackle has been far from the only issue within the unit.

The Jags made Andrew Norwell the highest-paid guard in football temporarily but he hasn’t looked close to the player we saw dominate with the Carolina Panthers. As previously mentioned, the Jags’ other guard in Cann, didn’t really look any better either.

As for the positives with the unit, rookie right tackle Jawaan Taylor had a rough start to his career, too, accumulating the second-highest penalty total in the league (15), but at least came on strong towards the end of the season and cleaned up several issues. As mentioned by PFF above, Brandon Linder was the unit’s most encouraging player accumulating a score of 75.7. While it’s worth noting he had 10 penalties on the season, too, he did enough to keep his job in 2020. 

When considering all the data above, Linder and Taylor are the two that will be a part of the offensive line without question in 2020. However, the left and right guard spots, as well as the left tackle spot, should definitely be evaluated for upgrades. They could also use a new positions coach, too, though George Warhop has only had a year with them.

If the Jags attack the needs of the unit right this offseason, they could put a respectable product on the field, and maybe even get back to the level of play fans saw in 2017. With a lot of draft capital by their sides, maybe the draft will provide a starter or two, which would be huge in a crucial year for Caldwell and Marrone.

Gardner Minshew, Jawaan Taylor and Josh Allen make All-Rookie PFF team for 2019

When looking at the class from top to bottom, fans would be hard-pressed to find a team that got more out of their 2019 draft class than the Jacksonville Jaguars. While it may have gone under the radar of most casual fans, the good people at Pro …

When looking at the class from top to bottom, fans would be hard-pressed to find a team that got more out of their 2019 draft class than the Jacksonville Jaguars. While it may have gone under the radar of most casual fans, the good people at Pro Football Focus seemingly paid close attention to the group and named quarterback Gardner Minshew II, pass-rusher Josh Allen, and right tackle Jawaan Taylor to their annual All-Rookie team this past week.

Of the three, Minshew came away with the highest overall PFF grade (70.3), which was also more than first-round selections Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray.  According to PFF analyst Ben Linsey, Minshew especially thrived with deep ball throws, accumulating a 129.0 passer rating on passes 20 or more yards, which was a total good for the best in the league.

Allen made the cut alongside San Francisco 49ers pass-rusher Nick Bosa due to ranking behind him with the second highest pass-rushing grade (70.2) of any rookie on the edge. He also was slightly behind Bosa in total pressures with 49, pressure rate (13.7%) and win rate while pass-rushing (15.7%).

Lastly, Taylor was praised by PFF for his pass-blocking success mostly. He was the only rookie offensive tackle in the league to register 500 or more offensive snaps and record a pass-blocking grade higher than 60.0. He was also one of 20 right tackles to allow a pressure rate lower than 6.0%.

Heading into 2019, the Jags had clear needs at both quarterbacks and right tackle, so the analytics and grades compiled by PFF are certainly encouraging for the futures of Minshew and Taylor. As for Allen, he made a respectable Jags pass-rush even better, and if he continues the fast growth fans witnessed in 2019, the Jags’ have their franchise player on the roster to take Jalen Ramsey’s place.

John DeFilippo talks about RT Jawaan Taylor’s rookie season so far

Jawaan Taylor has started in all of the Jags’ regular season games, but there is still plenty of room for growth before the season ends.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2019 season hasn’t gone as planned, but one thing fans can’t complain about is the contributions the team’s rookie class has made. Of course, first-round pick Josh Allen is having a solid season and is in the conversation for Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Gardner Minshew II had an impressive run, too.

Another player from the class who has contributed extensively is rookie right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who has started in all of the Jags’ regular season game. And while he has had a problem with penalties, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo likes some of the things he’s seen in the rookie and believes strongly in his future.

“I’m proud of Jawaan [Taylor], I really am,” DeFillipo said this week. “He’s drawn some tough assignments this year now. We’ve played some darn good fronts, and obviously I’d love to see him – he needs to cut down on the penalties, and I think he would tell you that. I’ve heard Coach Marrone speak of that. There’s two things I’d like Jawaan to work on, it’s just his consistency. Where his hands are at times, his punch, where he strikes a defender at the point of attack. And then obviously finishing people, and I think when we do that it’ll naturally cut down on those penalties.”

Taylor currently leads the league in penalties with 13, but that’s not exactly surprising for a rookie who has faced the elite athletes he has like J.J. Watt, Cam Jordan and and Von Miller to name a few.

The Jags are likely heading towards an offseason full of staff changes, however, Taylor is young enough for the next regime (if there is one) to view as a part of the team’s young nucleus. Having a solid game against the Chargers would be a great place to start cleaning up his technique and having success being that Los Angeles has two of the league’s more respectable pass rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.