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.
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