Brandon Linder, Luke Bowanko, and the State of the Offensive Line

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had many major issues over the past few years, and one of the key problems to a lack of success has been offensive line performance and consistency.

Brad Meester

Early in the Jaguars existence, the Jaguars had solid offensive lines almost every year, spearheaded by players like Tony Boselli and Brad Meester. However, as players left and grew older, the bringing in of new talent has not gone as well as expected.

Tony Boselli

If you need proof that the 'big uglies' are vital to a team's success, go look at the correlation between the Jaguars regular season record and their sacks allowed.

2013 Regular Season Record: 4-12
      Sacks Allowed: 50

Versus a team like the 49ers.

2013 Regular Season Record: 12-4
      Sacks Allowed: 6

The difference is unmistakable. Offensive line play is crucial to success in the NFL.

With this in mind, the Jaguars needed some help in this years off-season. Last season, the Jaguars drafted OT Luke Joeckel with the 2nd overall pick, and while he showed some promise in the season, Joeckel had a high ankle fracture in early October, leaving him out for the season. The other major move the Jaguars have made to offensive line was the free agent signing of OG Zane Beadles from the Denver Broncos. Beadles is a strong, smart guard, who has started 62 of 64 possible games for the Broncos.

Zane Beadles

So. Going into the 2014 NFL Draft, the Jaguars had improvements, but still needed interior help. Most expected the Jaguars to take some interior linemen, a guard or a center.

And that's exactly what they did.

The Jaguars' first two rounds were one of the most active and stunning rounds of the draft, taking QB Blake Bortles' at No. 3 overall, and taking WRs Marquis Lee and Allen Robinson at No. 39 and No. 61 respectively. The trade with the 49ers to move up and take Robinson left the Jaguars without a 3rd round pick. However, the Jaguars traded back into the 3rd round, trading with the Patriots for the 93rd overall pick, and giving up picks No. 105 and No. 179. The Jaguars then used this pick to select OG Brandon Linder from the University of Miami, FL.

Brandon Linder

Linder is 6'6 and is 311 lbs, a good, solid size for a guard. Linder started 42 games for Miami, and in 2013 was 2nd Team All-ACC. Linder is known for his intelligence on the field and his finishing of blocks and playing to the whistle. While he isn't the most athletic guard, he has a high football IQ, and will be the probable starter at RG, replacing Uche Nwaneri.

Early in the final day of the draft, the Jaguars began defensively, and it wasn't until the 6th round that they contributed back to the offensive line. In the 6th round, the Jaguars took C Luke Bowanko at pick No. 205 from the University of Virginia.

Luke Bowanko

Bowanko started 38 games for Virginia, and is 6'6, and 302 lbs. Compared to expected starting center Mike Brewster(6'3, 292 lbs), Bowanko is huge. However, what Brewster lacks in size, he makes up for in athletic ability and awareness. Bowanko will not be the opening week starter at center, save for a injury or something else drastic happens to Brewster. Bowanko will provide competition for the position, which is what GM Dave Caldwell and Head Coach Gus Bradley really want.

The future is bright for the Jaguars' offensive line. There is a lot of young talent, and with the right coaching and development, the Jaguars could have one of the strongest lines in the NFL in a year or two.

Links:

Brandon Linder vs University of Pittsburgh, Aaron Donald

Brandon Linder vs Louisville

(Sorry, no real videos of Luke Bowanko, except for one...)

Hopefully Bowanko Doesn't Do This For the Jaguars

WR Tandem: Marquis Lee and Allen Robinson

After the mayhem that was the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars had made their statement: We are planning for the future, and Blake Bortles is going to lead the way. And while this decision created a lot of buzz, there were still a few major questions: Who was going Bortles going to throw to? 

On Day 2 of the draft, the Jaguars quickly answered that question.

The anticipation for the 2nd round pick didn't have quite as much hype coming up to it like the 1st, but the Jaguars might have had the best pick in the 2nd round. With a special announcement from a camo-clad Brad Meester, the Jaguars selected WR Marquis Lee from the University of Southern California with 39th overall pick. 

Marquis Lee poses with Brad Meester and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Lee has been a star at USC for a couple years now, being part of the best WR tandem in the country along with Robert Woods in 2012. Known for his explosiveness and quickness, Lee has been making huge plays the past two season with less than stellar QB play. The situation he's entering into at the Jaguars is similar, with a mediocre-at-best Chad Henne, and a young, raw QB in Blake Bortles. Lee is also a lethal kick returner, returning two for touchdowns in his career at USC, and will probably be a kick returner for the Jaguars this upcoming season.

Through 3 years at USC, Lee has accumulated 2,655 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns. These stats might have been even more impressive if not for a plaguing knee injury in this past year. This knee injury was the probable cause of Lee falling out of the 1st round and into the Jaguars' lap in the 2nd. If Lee is healthy, that would mean that the Jaguars grabbed a Top 5, possibly Top 3 WR for a great value.

Marquis Lee

The only other concern that Lee has had, was catching consistency. Lee dropped quite a few balls in his junior year, but with the right offseason and training, Lee should have great success in his rookie year.

The Jaguars' selection of Marquis Lee was praised universally by just about every draft analyst, and the Jaguars had grabbed an interesting QB-WR combo. However, they weren't completely finished with the 2nd round.

Continuing to surprise most analysts, the Jaguars traded back into the 2nd round. Taking the 61st pick from the 49ers, and in turn giving up their 3rd round(No. 70) and 5th round pick(No. 150, which they got from the Lions in the WR Mike Thomas trade). The Jaguars continued to provide for Bortles and Henne, drafting WR Allen Robinson from Penn State University. 

Robinson was All-Big 10 in 2013, and over 2 years as a starter, Robinson racked up 2,450 yards, and 17 touchdowns. An impressive stat to say the least, and, like Lee, Robinson did this with mediocre QB play. 

Allen Robinson

While Robinson and Lee have their similarities, these receivers bring very different possibilities to the Jaguars passing attack. While Lee is explosive and quick, Robinson is strong, tall, and has a great knack for going up and coming down with tough passes. Robinson will be a redzone target, and a go to guy when the Jaguars absolutely need a big catch over a tough defender. 

Robinson bringing a different dimension to the Jaguars passing attack is vital, and along with Lee, veterans Cecil Shorts III and Ace Sanders, he should have a great opening season in the NFL. 

Through the first two rounds, the Jaguars made it known that they felt like improvement in the passing game was crucial, and the first 3 picks provide hope for the QB position, and talent and depth to the WR position. GM Dave Caldwell made it known after the first round that they were planning for the future and not for immediate success, but if anything, Marquis Lee and Allen Robinson will give Jaguars fans something exciting to look forward to every Sunday.

Links:

Marquis Lee Highlights by Harris Highlights

Allen Robinson Highlights by Harris Highlights

Opening Post: Blake Bortles, and the Dream of Development

On May 8th, 2014, the Jacksonville Jaguars held the 3rd overall pick in the NFL Draft. 

Coming into the night, it was understood that the Jaguars would be taking Khalil Mack, the devastatingly strong and instinctive OLB from the University of Buffalo, or Sammy Watkins, the WR from Clemson, with exceptional agility and size. 

At least, that's what every NFL Draft analyst was saying.

But what people say, and what actually happens rarely coincide. And the Jaguars shocked the majority of the NFL, by drafting a QB, Blake Bortles. 

It was well known, however, that the Jaguars were in desperate need for a QB, someone that could lead the team and take them to the next level. Chad Henne, the QB for the majority of the 2013 season, did his best, but it led to a meager 4-12 record. No QB had really stood out as "the guy", someone who could be a franchise QB.

Teddy Bridgewater was the initial front runner. Out of Louisville, Bridgewater possesses composure, good arm strength, and a knack for placing beautiful passes. And besides that, who can forget his incredible injured performance against the University of Florida Gators in the 2012 Sugar Bowl. But, a lacking 2013 season and a few missteps in the off-season led to many questions and concerns.

Teddy Bridgewater

Then there's Johnny Manziel. "Johnny Football" was the most electrifying player in college football for 2 years. With a deadly combination of mobility and intuition, Manziel won the 2012 Heisman, broke numerous SEC records, and was a weekly highlight reel. However, doubt on whether a mobile QB can last in the NFL plagued his hype on the way to the Draft.

Johnny Manziel

And finally, there is Blake Bortles. Bortles played at the University of Central Florida, and really made a name for himself in the 2013 season. Physically, Bortles is the most impressive of the QB class. 6-5, 232 lbs, Bortles is huge, and often draws comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger because of both size and evasiveness in the pocket. Bortles has his issues as well, however. He is raw. He has an unrefined passing motion, and questionable decision making.

Blake Bortles

The selection of Bortles is one of the most unexpected selections in the past few years, and there are many people who support, and disagree with the pick.

As previously mentioned, Bortles has unreal size, and many of the proponents of the pick claim that and his "it" factor and clutchness to be his saving grace(see the link below, for Bortles' game-winning drive and touchdown against Louisville in the 2013 football season.)

Bortles has a resounding amount of critics, as well. Many critics claim that Bortles release and wobbly passes are a permanent habit, and that even with development, Bortles will have a disappointing career. And as for issues with the pick, many critics say that selection was a huge reach, that the Jaguars could have traded down, gotten a pick or two more, and then selected Bortles. 

This is true. After the Jaguars selected Bortles at No. 3, the next selection of QB was Johnny Manziel by the Browns at 22. The Vikings, nor the Browns seemed interested in getting a QB early, and that would have probably still been the case if the Jaguars had traded down.

Jacksonville Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell came out and these critics after the selection. He said that Bortles had been the target QB for the Jaguars for months, and that they had to make sure they selected him. 

Dave Caldwell

Caldwell's decision to make sure that the Jaguars selected Bortles, and the dedication they've showed to him is impressive. If Caldwell had just randomly taken one of the QBs in the draft, that could have led to terrible results. Showing dedication to a player and having faith in said player's ability usually pays off in the long run.

The key word for Blake Bortles has been "development". Bortles' raw ability and physical size has been praised, but even the supporters admit that he is in need of some "polishing", so to speak. Caldwell has come out and said that they plan on Chad Henne being the starter going into 2014, but that Bortles could get his chance in the 2014 season.

The move to try and develop Bortles is conservative, but a smart move. Bortles can learn behind a veteran like Henne, and working with Jaguars offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch this next season will Bortles a chance to learn and grow. However, if push comes to shove, will Bortles be ready to play this season?

Bortles at the NFL Draft

There are just over 4 months until the NFL regular season begins, and the Jaguars open up the season on the road at the Philadelphia Eagles. Plan on Chad Henne leading the offense that day, but be open to the idea of Bortles starting day one. Bortles' developmental process, whatever it may be, will take time, and no one is sure how much time. Now, Jaguars fans have to play the "waiting game", and with all the hype and momentum the Jaguars gained in the draft, that won't be an easy game to play.

*Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the Jacksonville Jaguars, nor do I claim to be an expert on the team or football in general. I am merely observing and stating opinions.

Links:

Gruden QB Camp with Bortles

Blake Bortles Highlight Video by Harris Highlights

Blake Bortles vs South Carolina(And Jadeveon Clowney) 2013

http://www.jaguars.com/