JACKSONVILLE – Two down, three remaining.
That's where we stand in the jaguars.com 2016 reader mock draft, and while the first two days have been long on debate, they've been short on surprises.
That's OK, and it may mean good things for the Jaguars -- if by "good things" you mean offensive players going off the board.
That's the conventional wisdom – that the Jaguars want to go defense with the No. 5 overall selection. If that's correct, then any offensive player before that is a positive.
So far, so good – in this reader mock, anyway.
Tennessee, remember, used the No. 1 overall selection in this reader mock to select Mississippi left tackle Laremy Tunsil. That move would make many Jaguars followers happy, with many of those followers locked in to a three-tier wish list of Ohio State edge rusher Joey Bosa, UCLA linebacker Myles Jack and Florida State cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey.
With Tunsil gone at No. 1, the Bosa/Jack/Ramsey gang obviously needs one more player outside that group to go from Selections 2-4.
Most reader mockers on Monday obliged. A few did not.
"No way Browns go QB @ No. 2," reader/mocker jfilo wrote. "No QB in this draft is worthy of a first-round draft pick. Maybe in Round 2 they pull the strings on a QB. That's why they brought in RG3. With the No. 2 pick in the draft, the Cleveland Browns select ... Jalen Ramsey."
Reader/mocker Mike agreed, and he wasn't exactly nice about it.
"Cleveland is gonna Cleveland and pick Ramsey … thus killing this man's future before it even begins," he wrote. "It's gonna be a loooooong rookie contract for him; let's hope somebody signs him in 2020."
Indeed, that was a collective moan of agony you heard from Jaguars nation. But it was drowned out by the happy, confident consensus that the Browns indeed go quarterback at No. 2 – yes, even after signing Robert Griffin III as an unrestricted free agent earlier this offseason.
"All aboard the Cleveland Brown QB Carousel!" reader mocker Wevin Keaver wrote. "Selecting QBs that shouldn't be selected this early is what Cleveland does. Don't over think it. The only surprise here is I think they take Goff."
That's "Goff" as in "Jared Goff," the quarterback from California who many consider the second-rated quarterback prospect in this year's draft behind "Wentz." That's "Wentz" as in Carson Wentz, the quarterback from Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley's alma mater, North Dakota State.
Wentz is the Browns' selection more often than not when looking at mocks of respected analysts. And –respected or not – he was the Browns' selection by many of our reader mockers.
"I think there will be a trade," reader mocker Jagsfan wrote, "but if Cleveland holds, I think they go Wentz."
Reader mocker Chawns904 agreed.
"Carson Wentz ... let him sit for a couple seasons and analyze the game," he wrote. "His combine has pushed him to this position."
And reader/mocker Papa Paul agreed that RGIII's presence won't preclude the Browns from selecting CW from NDSU.
"I don't think the Browns have enough faith in RG3 to toss him the keys to the franchise and will take Wentz to develop just in case," he wrote.
And so after two days, the jaguars.com 2016 reader mock looks like this:
1.Tennessee | Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
2.Cleveland | Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
That brings us to the San Diego Chargers at No. 3. There is a huge temptation on the part of the senior writer to offer Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner here. One reason for the temptation is Buckner is really good – and a good fit for the Chargers. Another reason is Jaguars fans want Buckner gone, so that would be a popular choice and the senior writer likes being liked as much as the next guy.
Still, the gut here is the Chargers go Ramsey. That means popularity for the senior writer once again will just have to wait.
Have at it.
