Category: Urban Meyer

Worst-case scenario at pick 25: Reaching for Pat Freiermuth

The Jags have connections to Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth, but they can’t overdraft him to pass up first-round talent.

With the 2021 NFL Draft starting Thursday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a chance to change the fortunes of the franchise for the next decade or more. New general manager Trent Baalke has 10 total picks at his disposal and the first of those picks (No. 1) will be going towards Trevor Lawrence.

Even after taking the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, the Jaguars have a further four selections in the top-65 picks. Meaning they should find multiple long-term starters in this year’s class.

Every year for some inexplicable reason players with no business going in the first round become premier draft selections like Damon Arnette to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Jags have been known to make similar mistakes, too, and it’s hurt them.

The last time the Jaguars were picking in the 20s of the NFL Draft they reached horrendously for Taven Bryan. To make a long story short, he no longer starts on the Jaguars’ defensive line and is yet to have his fifth-year option extended.

With Bryan’s selection still fresh in the minds of Jags fans, many probably are wondering if some players would represent a similar mistake if elected by the Jags with pick No. 25 in Thursday’s draft. Well, one name comes to mind.

Who would be the worst-case scenario for the Jaguars at 25th overall?

Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth.

Freiermuth has been rumored to the Jaguars for a long time now. His connection to the Jags was amplified when new coach Urban Meyer hired Penn State’s tight ends coach Tyler Bowen, who was Freiermuth’s position coach for his entire collegiate career.

At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds the former Nittany Lion has the coveted size for the position and has shown to be a legitimate red-zone threat throughout his time at Penn State. He is, by all standards, a very strong tight end prospect. So why is Freiermuth the worst-case scenario for the Jaguars to take him at 25? Well, the likelihood is that he could be on the board at 45. Potentially even later.

Rebuilding teams should never make the mistake of drafting need over value, and despite the multiple free-agent additions made this offseason, the Jags are still a team very much in the middle of a rebuild. With so many high-impact players likely still on the board through the team’s first five picks, Baalke’s top priority should be to add the best available prospects to a team that just went 1-15. So whilst adding a quality tight end is a point of emphasis for the team this weekend, it shouldn’t be anywhere close to the top of their priorities on Thursday.

It stands to reason that by the end of the weekend Freiermuth will still be a Jaguar, but missing out on premier talent to reach on a position that rarely produces in their first year would be a colossal mistake for the new regime in their first draft.

Jacksonville Jaguars 2021 NFL Draft Primer

In just over 24 hours, the Jags will be kicking off the draft with the top pick, which almost certainly will go towards Trevor Lawrence.

We are almost 24 hours away from the start of the 2021 NFL Draft, which means Jacksonville Jaguars fans can soon call Trevor Lawrence their quarterback. However, even aside from his selection, there is a lot to be excited about as the Jags have a buzz surrounding them with a lot of changes occurring to the organization.

As is the case with most teams, the draft is the way to build a team, and the Jags certainly seem to be aware of that. With new coach Urban Meyer wanting to win immediately, the Jags will need a great draft aside from acquiring Lawrence, which has built up a lot of anticipation within the fan base.

All that said, we grouped all the important information that we’ve posted concerning the draft and offseason below. From the date and time of the draft, to information on the front office and Lawrence, and more, here is everything you need to know heading into Thursday:

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

How to watch, stream, and listen to Day 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft

  • As always the draft will be streamed on ESPN, NFL Network, and ABC. For those who live in the Jacksonville area, it also can be heard on the radio via ESPN 690 AM. Here is all the info needed to watch, listen, and stream.
Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville Jaguars draft 2021 picks and trade value board

The Jaguars will enter the 2021 NFL Draft with 10 picks, tied for second-most in the NFL. They acquired extra picks by trading Yannick Ngakoue, Jalen Ramsey, and Ronnie Harrison. They also swapped picks with the Tennessee Titans when they traded Jacksonville linebacker, Kamalei Correa.

Round Pick Overall
1 1 1
1 (From L.A. Rams) 25 25
2 1 33
2 (From Vikings) 13 45
3 1 65
4 1 106
4 (from L.A. Rams) 25 130
5 1 145
5 (From Browns) 26 171
6 (From Titans) 21 249
  • Click here to find the trade value of each Jags pick in this week’s draft.
Dec 28, 2019; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrates after a victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl college football playoff semifinal game. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Info on presumptive No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence

The Jags have long been expected to take Trevor Lawrence first overall and will have the national spotlight on them as a result.

Here is all the important information we’ve posted on him leading into this point.

Dec 19, 2020; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers (3) catches a pass for a 67-yard touchdown near Notre Dame safety Shaun Crawford (20) during the first quarter of the ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Other prospects who the Jags could be interested in

The Jags’ selection of Lawrence will be the easy part because he’s the best player in the draft. However, they are going to need to knock the rest of the draft out of the park. Here are some posts we made to familiarize our readers with prospects they could be interested in after pick No. 1.

Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer rewatches a play during the game at Michigan Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. Ohio State defeated Michigan, 56-27.

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The latest from the front office

Jags owner Shad Khan overhauled their front office with the firings of former general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone. The two were replaced by Trent Baalke and Urban Meyer, respectively, in January.

Here are some of their most important moments heading into the draft:

Urban Meyer discusses the 3 QBs Jacksonville examined for No. 1 pick

Urban Meyer understands the importance behind the No. 1 pick, which is why he had the Jags’ staff do a deep dive on all of the top QBs.

It’s no secret in the NFL that the Jacksonville Jaguars are in the market for a quarterback. They haven’t had a true franchise player at the position since Mark Brunell left the team in 2003, and following a 1-15 season that netted it the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history, that’s expected to change.

In an interview with NFL insider Adam Schefter, new Jacksonville coach Urban Meyer discussed the first overall pick and the due diligence the staff did in preparing to make it. Though not flat-out saying who the pick would be, he did seem to concede that it will indeed be a quarterback.

It’s widely expected that that quarterback will be Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who’s considered the best prospect in the draft and a generational prospect at the position. But according to Meyer, the team scouted two other prospects heavily, as well: BYU’s Zach Wilson and Ohio State’s Justin Fields.

“We went, I want to say, at least four, five, to six weeks,” Meyer told Schefter.  “I mean, we were really deep, and then we narrowed it down. And then you’ve had your top-2 or top-3 that you moved forward with a series of Zoom calls, we did the best we could. We split up on pro days, sent a guy out to BYU, on to Ohio State, obviously out to Clemson, and those are the three that we identified, and we did a deep dive on those guys.”

The expectation from the moment the team moved into position to pick first overall has been that Lawrence would be the selection there. Still it is interesting (but not shocking) that Meyer and his staff took the team to check out Fields and Wilson, the latter being almost universally projected to go immediately after Lawrence to the New York Jets at No. 2.

Meyer understands the significance of this pick, especially in his first season. If it goes well, it will set the franchise up to win for a decade or more to come. If not, it would be a difficult mistake to bounce back from.

“I think you just got to make sure you’re doing the right thing,” he said. “Our success and failure will be dependent upon this pick.”

Even with this information, there’s no reason to think that the team will make any move other than taking Lawrence first overall. But it just goes to show that you can never be too sure in this league, even when the right answer may seem abundantly clear to many.

[The following quotes were mostly transcribed by The Spun]

Listen: Discussing Urban Meyer, his plans heading into draft with 97.1 The Fan

Urban Meyer will be heading into his first NFL Draft Thursday and a few positions need to be addressed for it to be successful.

It still doesn’t feel quite real to see Urban Meyer running the Jacksonville Jaguars in the eyes of most fans. But he has in fact been on the job since January, and we’ve now reached what he says will be the most important part of the Jags’ history: the 2021 NFL Draft.

To discuss his acquisition by the Jags and what is ahead for him this week, Jags Wire joined 97.1 The Fan’s “Bishop and Laurinaitis” show to discuss the first year head coach. Specifically, we discussed how the fan base feels about his return, what a successful draft would look like, the Jags’ power structure, and how long he could be around in Jacksonville.

To listen in, simply click here.

Jags’ Charlie Strong all but confirms Trevor Lawrence selection, talks about getting a QB

While he didn’t completely confirm what the team plans to do with the first pick, Strong offered some candor about the quarterback position.

Whenever a franchise selects first overall and don’t have a proven quarterback, it almost always chooses to address that position with the pick. This is the exact situation Jacksonville finds itself in, and it’s an open secret that the team plans to address the position with its first pick.

In an interview with reporter Anthony Amey, Jaguars assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong said that the current coaching staff knows what it’s doing when it comes to developing a quarterback. Before working for the Lions, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell held the same position in Seattle where he helped develop Russell Wilson and led the unit to two Super Bowl appearances (including a win in Super Bowl XLVIII).

Meanwhile, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer succeeded Bevell in Seattle, where he worked for the last three years. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and the New York Jets as well as a stint at the college level with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Strong said the duo, with the leadership of head coach Urban Meyer, whose track record as an offensive coach at Ohio State, Florida, and prior jobs speaks for itself, knows what it’s doing when it comes to developing a quarterback.

“With Bevell being the offensive coordinator and then (coach Schottenheimer) being the quarterback coach, they have a track record of getting the quarterback ready,” he said. “And Urban’s an offensive guy, he’s driven, that’s his deal is offensive. So I think when they make that selection, which it’s been a lot poured into it so the groundwork has already been laid, so when they make that selection, everyone will be prepared to go.”

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CN-TBGUB90N/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In addition to basically stating that the team will take a quarterback with the first overall pick, Strong seemed to heavily imply who that quarterback will be. Though no one affiliated with the Jaguars has officially come out and said it, the predominant belief has been that they will take Clemson passer, Trevor Lawrence.

While Strong didn’t confirm this, he also seemed to concede that the team’s decision is already widely known.

“When you talk about the quarterback, whomever it may be — and everybody knows who it’s going to be, it’s no secret…”

The NFL draft is less than a week away, and soon the coaches won’t have to speak about Lawrence in such coded language. But for the time being, it seems Strong, who is very familiar with Meyer as the two worked together at Florida from 2005 until 2009, is confident in this coaching staff’s ability to prepare a quarterback.

Watch: Jags introduce free agent additions, prepare for draft in Episode 2 of ‘The Hunt’

Joe Cullen likes the additions the Jags brought in during free agency and discussed Shaquill Griffin, Jihad Ward, and others on ‘The Hunt.’

With the momentum of Urban Meyer’s hire propelling them, the Jacksonville Jaguars previewed the first episode of their video series for the offseason entitled ‘The Hunt’ last month, which left fans wanting more of the former Gators coach. On Thursday, they got just that and more in Episode 2.

This week’s episode started with the Jags’ 2021 free agent class introducing themselves. The notables featured were Shaquill Griffin, Carlos Hyde, Marvin Jones, Roy-Robertson Harris, and Jihad Ward to name a few. Jags defensive coordinator Joe Cullen also was featured in this week’s video as he discussed some of the team’s defensive additions and explained his principles of coaching players.

As for Meyer, Episode 2 featured his introductory meeting with the roster (virtually). He discussed the “+2 mentality” that he wants his players to have in the process, which basically is the mindset of working hard while providing extra effort.

Lastly, Episode 2 gave fans another preview of Trent Baalke and the front office scouting players in preparation for the draft. An anonymous player appears to have caught Meyer’s eye, leading him to request an interview with the player. Baalke also spoke on the team’s goal with their early draft picks, which is to hopefully land five starting caliber players.

https://youtu.be/T-qCbyL8utI

Urban Meyer says he’s learning how to trust the draft board

The new Jaguars head coach is still learning how the draft process works after spending his whole career coaching at the college level.

Adjusting from college coaching to leading an NFL team has several wrinkles, but there is perhaps no greater change than the method of player acquisition. Instead of recruiting, where a wide net can be cast, head coaches must make use of  free agency and the draft.

Adopting an NFL draft mindset can be difficult, especially for a former college coach as value has to be emphasized over need. In a recent interview, new Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, who has no experience coaching at the NFL level, talked about how he’s made that adjustment.

“I find myself always looking at need and that’s where you have to be cautious, you start chasing players,” Meyer said. “The whole idea of value is completely new to me. That’s something I relied on [defensive coordinator] Joe Cullen and [offensive coordinator Darrell] Bevell as coordinators and [special teams coordinator] Brian Schneider, who has extensive experience in the NFL, and obviously Trent and his staff. I’m a quick learner. I’ve been working at this now for about three months, and the last three to four weeks, this has been our entire life in that room watching video, stacking the board.

“So, trusting the board is key. I’m at the point almost there that I will trust it, but as a coach, I can see where [you can say], ‘We need this, we need this, and we need this’ and that’s where you get yourself in trouble. It’s been a great learning experience for me and to answer your question [about the draft], I’m nervous. I’m nervous about everything, I think you know that.”

It’s nice to see candor from Meyer on this, and it seems he’s been content to delegate aspects of the draft he’s unfamiliar with. But with that being said, Meyer hasn’t relinquished control of the draft process and has taken an active role during preparations.

“We’ve had a couple dry runs,” Meyer said. “We’re going to have a couple dry runs again. I’m a control nut and an organizational nut, so I want to make sure that — I want to know where people are sitting, I want to know what camera, what we’re going to be looking at on the screens. And Trent has been great, and this is the first time this personnel in this organization will do it. So, we’re going to be on point. And so, at this point, we’ve had a couple dry runs, but we’re going to go in great detail early next week about exactly how it takes place. So, I’ll feel much better after that.”

After a solid but not splashy free agency period, this draft is a big opportunity for the Jaguars to speed up the rebuild. They’re going to select a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and if they put the right players around him, they could improve a lot in Year 1 under the new regime. Jags fans will hope Meyer can adjust.

Urban Meyer discusses Jags’ approach for OL, DL heading into 2021 Draft

While the offensive tackle class of the upcoming draft is strong, it’s unlikely the Jags will get a 2021 starter from the group it appears.

At this point in the offseason, fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars are well familiar with the team’s needs heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. After going 1-15, the offensive and defensive lines are two areas the team is expected to address in some way next week as both units will need additions if the Jags are to improve.

As expected, both units were topics in the Jags’ latest press conference where Trent Baalke and Urban Meyer answered draft-related questions from the media. With the importance of the defensive line being a topic that Meyer has emphasized in the past, it was the first unit of the two brought up Wednesday.

“The edge is a little deeper than the interior, but there are some really quality players on the inside as well,” Meyer said. “We addressed some of the needs on the defensive line in free agency; that was obviously a high need area for us. We’re not done yet, but actually today, this afternoon, we’re going to finalize—that’s one of the final pieces.

“When Trent said we’re finishing the board [earlier], that’s one of the final pieces that we’re actually working on. It’s obviously, ‘How good is your team? How good is your defensive line?’ That’s the first answer. We have some really solid pieces right now that we even believe will play better as they get a little more mature and we move on and the scheme fits some of our personnel. But that’s a great question and this afternoon we have to get that answer. It’s not completely done yet.”

The thing that stood out the most in Meyer’s statements was the part about the edge-rushing class being deeper than the interior group. That’s something several draft pundits have echoed as there are solid options to land throughout the draft, while the interior class has concerns after the first few names like Christian Barmore and Levi Onwuzurike. Only time will tell how this truly plays a role in how the Jags draft, but Meyer’s mindset appears to be somewhat similar to the draft pundits.

As for the offensive line, Meyer expressed that he believes the starting five from 2020 was a talented group, which explained the decision to keep them together. However, he added that he believes the unit can play better, which could be a message that offensive line coach George Warhop has expressed to him.

“I think that’s an obvious statement,” Meyer said when asked if there was room for competition on the offensive line. “Competition brings out the best in everyone and the way I look at our offensive line is they’re very talented people. We made a decision to go with the starting five that we had, which you’re also going to get a guy named Tyler Shatley. We’ve got some other young players that I know [Offensive Line] Coach [George] Warhop thinks very highly of.

“And like I mentioned with the defensive line, the next question you’re going to ask, ‘How’s your team? How’s your offensive line?’ And I feel like our offensive line could play much better and I believe we have the coach and I believe we have some excellent talent that we will play much better. And they’re still—our two tackles were young players, which are still coming to their own. We have some veterans inside that I feel good about. But to answer your question, we will try to help bring some competition to the offensive line with the draft; we’re planning on doing that.”

When looking at the upcoming draft class, it’s strong at offensive tackle, so the Jags may come away from it with competition for Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor, both of whom could use a push. At the same time, that competition might not come within the first three rounds.

As for the guard spots, it would be wise for the Jags to land help there as both of their starting guards (A.J. Cann and Andrew Norwell) have one year left on their contracts. While last year’s fourth round pick Ben Bartch can take over for Cann down the road, the Jags could use a backup plan to replace Norwell, who may not be a player the Jags want to continue with past 2021.

Only time will tell what direction the Jags go with their 10 picks next week, but it’s clear they aren’t done in the trenches. With early picks in most rounds, the opportunity to bolster their roster in the trenches certainly will be there, but it will be a matter of Baalke and Meyer making the right calls at the right moments.

As expected, Jags have found ‘no negatives’ with Trevor Lawrence

The draft is almost a week away and the Jags appear to have done all their homework on Trevor Lawrence.

Thursday will mark a week away from the 2021 NFL Draft, which means the Jacksonville Jaguars are inching closer to the probable selection of Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. And after having months to do their research on him, Jags general manager Trent Baalke told the media that the front office has yet to find a single negative on Lawrence.

“Well, the easiest way to answer that is [there are] no negatives,” said Baalke when asked what the team has learned about the Clemson star over meetings. “[With] all the research we’ve done, you’re always looking for the stars to align when you’re looking at prospects, whether that be from a physical, mental, character aspect, whatever the case may be. With his situation, like many others in this draft, the stars all align and that’s what you’re looking for.”

The next step in their decision to take Lawrence will be to meet with owner Shad Khan in the coming days as he will have the final say. Although Baalke admitted that the Jags received calls about pick No. 1, it’s hard to imagine them coming off the selection as Khan started the offseason stressing the importance of a franchise quarterback.

“We’ve fielded a couple of calls, but I think we’re going to hold tight,” Baalke said. “Again, that decision is made organizationally and our ownership is definitely involved with that as well.”

Khan understands better than anyone that Lawrence can help make the team more marketable and help them on the field, too, so one would have to think the decision will be a no-brainer.

Alex Smith says he visited Jags before retirement, left excited about Urban Meyer’s vision

Alex Smith weighed his options before retiring. The Jags were at least one of them as he visited the team and his former coach Urban Meyer.

After a miraculous comeback from major surgery in 2020, Alex Smith has decided to hang up his cleats. He made the announcement early Monday morning, ending his 14-year career in the NFL.

Smith told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that he had been leaning towards retirement this offseason, however, he made a trip to visit the Jacksonville Jaguars to do his due diligence before coming to a final decision. While he didn’t leave with a contract, he said he left excited about the vision of head coach Urban Meyer, who was Smith’s coach at the University of Utah.

“I took a trip to Jacksonville and checked it out,” Smith said. “I left there so excited about what coach Meyer has going and what he’s building and his vision and the culture he’s going to bring.

“Even though it was nearly 20 years ago that I played for him in college, he still has that fire and that definitely did excite me. I wanted to do my due diligence, even though I was leaning towards retirement. And I wanted to marinate in it a little bit and see what was out there. I’m happy I did.”

Most fans would agree that it would’ve been nice to have Smith on the roster. He would’ve brought a ton of experience to the table with 167 career starts to his name and 35,650 career passing yards. However, chances are it would’ve been as a backup due to the Jags having the No. 1 overall pick to use on Trevor Lawrence.

Meyer spoke on smith last week while on the “Michael Irvin Podcast.” He said the Jags showed interest in Smith, however, the medical team had concerns. Despite that, Meyer and Jags general manager Trent Baalke, who scouted Smith before he joined San Francisco, wanted to look out for Smith, but it appears he felt it was best to end his career on a high note.