We'll try to make this as quick as we can today.
That won't be easy, because as many readers pointed out on Day 19 of the jaguars.com 2011 reader mock draft, we're well into that stage of the draft where things are a bit sketchy, where the readers are a bit less defined on just what the team on the clock might do.
There was some good discussion at No. 19, though.
And, as might be expected, a lot of that had to do with the fact that the coach of the team selecting nineteenth, the New York Giants, is none other than former Jaguars Head Coach Tom Coughlin.
Coughlin didn't exactly dominate the discussion Friday, but debate over his approach to drafting was certainly a prominent topic.
J-School Corby was, as isn't unusual, at the center of the debate.
"Tom Coughlin&39;s never been a pure needs guy (although, remember, Jerry Reese has final say over draft picks in New York)," Corby wrote, adding, "R. Jay Soward was really the only pure needs-based first round pick he made in Jacksonville. For everyone else, you could at least make the argument that they were one of the top few players left on the board when the pick was made. "You could say much the same thing for his Giants&39; tenure; for all the 'need-drafter' flak Coughlin takes, the record doesn&39;t really back it up. He&39;ll reach by a guy or two, but aside from Soward, not significantly."
Not unexpectedly, the arguments came quickly.
"Are you kidding me?" Fred Barnes wrote, adding, "Tom Coughlin is the definition of a needs-based drafter. I still recall the day he mentioned to the media that for the first time ever he picked a player solely because he was the best available. The player was Clenton Ballard, and he was Coughlin&39;s 6th round pick in 2002. He failed to make the roster that year."
You can hit Thursday's entry for the rest of the discussion, but for the record, the senior writer would have to side with Barnes. For better or worse, Coughlin did have a tendency to go needs on Draft Day, although you can't argue the success he had drafting in Jacksonville, particularly in Round 1.
Coughlin banter aside, Day 19 was about the Giants' selection, and Matt made a point that had a lot of merit when he discussed the problem of making the team's pick.
"The problem we are going to start encountering with the next couple of picks is that all the best players left on the board are offensive and defensive linemen, and anyone else would be a stretch at this point," he wrote, adding, "That being said, the Giants are not exactly in need of either of those positions...I think they end up trading down a few picks to get a LB or someone in the secondary."
Matt picked Georgia linebacker Justin Houston, but more because there's no trading in the jaguars.com reader mock than anything else. And while UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers also got some mention, this day quickly became about offensive line.
That meant a lot of support for Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo.
"Knowing the Giants, they&39;ll pick an offensive lineman to start rebuilding what has traditionally been an area of strength," Larry Zonk wrote, adding. "(Florida guard Mike) Pouncey or Tackle? I say they go tackle and wait to find interior linemen and linebackers later. Giants pick Anthony Castonzo."
Mij420 was a bit more to the point.
"Anthony Castonzo," he wrote, succinctly.
But in the end, this was a day for the interior of the line, as well as another day for the chalk. Not that the senior writer has entirely ruled out going against the popular vote, but on this day, there wasn't really an overwhelmingly good reason not to go with Pouncey.
"There are many players as we get deeper into the first round that could easily be considered the BAP, many of which are defensive and offensive linemen," Kevin Grab wrote, adding, "Given the value here at those positions, and coupled with the Giants&39; apparent need for an injection of youth across their offensive line, the former Florida Gator just makes a lot of sense and just might very well represent the perfect blend of need and BAP.
"Lest we forget the NFL is a copycat league, and Mike&39;s brother, Maurkice, was selected around this spot in last years&39; draft by the Steelers. The talent level of these two seems to be on the same level, and Tom Coughlin seemingly gets a fixture on his front line for years to come."
That made as much sense as any argument, and with no one with whom I work wanting to wait around for a lengthy Friday afternoon post, we went ahead and selected – relatively quickly, at least -- Pouncey for the Giants.
That makes the jaguars.com 2011 reader mock draft look like:
No. 1 | Carolina | Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
No. 2 | Denver | Patrick Peterson, CB, Louisiana State
No. 3 | Buffalo | Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
No. 4 | Cincinnati | Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
No. 5 | Arizona | Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
No. 6 | Cleveland | A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
No. 7 | San Francisco | Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina
No. 8 | Tennessee | Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
No. 9 | Dallas | Tyron Smith, OT, Southern California
No. 10 | Washington | Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
No. 11 | Houston | Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
No. 12 | Minnesota | Jake Locker, QB, Washington
No. 13 | Detroit | Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
No. 14 | St. Louis | Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
No. 15 | Miami | Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
No. 16 | Jacksonville | Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
No. 17 | New England | J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconson
No. 18 | San Diego | Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 19 | New York Giants | Mike Pouncey, G, Florida
That brings us to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 20. We'll go back to offering up linebackers, and that means a mention here of Ayers and another of Houston and so on.
Happy Friday.
Have at it.
