JACKSONVILLE – Greg Cosell likes where Blake Bortles is, and likes where he's going.
A big reason is the long-time NFL Films senior producer very much likes how the Jaguars' third-year quarterback approaches the game.
Yes, Bortles is going to make mistakes. But Cosell, one of the media's top NFL analysts, said those mistakes don't make Bortles a bad quarterback.
He also said Bortles' approach to the game gives him a chance to be special.
"I like the way he plays," Cosell told J.P. Shadrick, Brian Sexton and John Oehser during an appearance on Jaguars.com LIVE Wednesday afternoon. "I think he has an aggressive mindset and I like the fact that he's willing to turn it loose.
"He may always be a quarterback that throws a couple of picks that make you scratch your head because I think he's willing to turn it loose."
Cosell emphasized that that willingness is not a bad thing.
"He makes a lot of really good throws because of that," Cosell said.
Bortles threw a franchise-record 35 touchdown passes last season after throwing 11 as a rookie in 2014. He also threw 18 interceptions after throwing 17 as a rookie.
"He's not a safety-first, risk-free quarterback and I think in the NFL, the quarterback needs to be willing to make difficult throws," Cosell said, adding of Bortles overall, "He improved significantly from his rookie year to his second year, which you would expect and the organization would expect. That's why you drafted him No. 3 [overall in the 2014 NFL Draft]."
Cosell said the development of wide receiver Allen Robinson helped Bortles significantly last season.
"He caught a ton of 50-50 balls," Cosell said of Robinson, "and Bortles clearly got very comfortable throwing it to him when he was the single receiver. Bortles felt very comfortable throwing it up to Allen Robinson, and there's nothing wrong with that. …
"I like the way Bortles has developed and I like the way he plays."
Cosell also covered several other topics while appearing on Jaguars.com LIVE, including:
*Florida State cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey.Analysts and teams are split over whether the Top 5-rated prospect will play safety or cornerback in the NFL. Cosell said the Jaguars signing of Tashaun Gipson as an unrestricted free agent from Cleveland means Ramsey likely will play corner if selected by the Jaguars at No. 5 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft next month. "If the Jaguars draft him, I think he'd be a corner," Cosell said. "I don't think he's going to play safety for Jacksonville. I think he can play quality corner in the NFL. He's a very good corner prospect. … They have two safeties [Gipson and Johnathan Cyprien]. He's going to play corner."
*Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith. Count Cosell among the many draft analysts who believe Smith would have been the best prospect in the draft if not for a major knee injury late in the season. "To me, of the guys I've watched on tape, he's the best prospect in this draft class," Cosell said. "No one knows about the injury, so he's not going to get drafted in the Top 5."
*UCLA linebacker Myles Jack.While Jack typically is most often listed as a linebacker, Cosell said he "will be interesting because some people see him as an outside linebacker and some people see him as a safety." Cosell said some teams may see him in a similar role to the one strong safety Kam Chancellor plays in Seattle's defense. "The thing that separates him is he has rare coverage ability," Cosell said. …
