The Jacksonville Jaguars fanbase went from being excited about the 2019 season because of the addition of quarterback Nick Foles (well, some of them) to wanting it to end due to his poor play. Now, the Jags are in a position to undergo sweeping changes — and rightfully so, which points to a reset.
Many draft pundits will keep this in mind with their mocks for the remainder of the season and beyond, which means there will be some quarterbacks mocked to Jacksonville early despite Foles’ contract and the potential of Gardner Minshew II. A prime example is the mock draft that Jonah Tuls recently compiled at The Draft Network, which has the Jags taking Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his teammate in receiver Henry Ruggs III.
8. Jaguars, Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
Tagovailoa goes to Duval. Before you rule this out as too far-fetched, professional teams still have no idea what Tagovailoa’s medical reports look like; and I would be willing to bet there is a decent chance he is going to be off some boards. If Tagovailoa ends up falling and has to take a redshirt year in 2020, the Jacksonville Jaguars make the most sense as a landing spot. They are financially tied to Nick Foles, and he can serve as the bridge quarterback for Tagovailoa. This would give him all the time he needs for recovery without rushing a comeback.
20. Jaguars, Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama
Regardless of the Jaguars drafting a quarterback early, this offense needs playmakers. Henry Ruggs might be the fastest player in the draft, but I don’t think people realize how good of a wide receiver he is. His finishing consistency at the catch point is among the best in this class, and he is far too underrated as a route runner. Pairing the likes of Ruggs with Tua in the first round would be a dream for fans in Jacksonville.
Of course, as mentioned there are a lot of things that need to be cleared up with the first being Tua’s decision to declare in 2020. There is also his injury situation (hip) and each team’s medical staff understanding the severity of it. The Jags must also find out what they have in Gardner Minshew II this month.
However, as we pointed out in a mock draft analysis from October, the next front office (if there is a change) will have no ties to any of the quarterbacks on the roster, and if they fall in love with a specific quarterback prospect, they should go ahead and get their guy.
Statistically, Tua is a player who has improved in terms of accuracy over his career, garnering completion percentages of 63.6 (2017), 69.0 (2018) and 71.4 (2019) while at Alabama. The pundits at The Draft Network also like his pocket presence and throwing ability on all three levels.
Ruggs is a player our own Daniel Griffis has previewed in the past. At 6-foot-0, 190 pounds, Ruggs has elite 4.2-4.3 speed, has excellent body control and is an issue to bring down in the open field. With DJ Chark Jr. continuing to develop into a No. 1 receiver, Ruggs could be a solid No. 2 in time for the Jags and add speed to what is already one of the fastest receiving corps in football.