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, AlabamaThe 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 DamePhilip 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 StateNew 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.