JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Stokes from Orange Park, FL

If drafting something that potentially makes our defensive line akin to what we witnessed the Philadelphia Eagles demonstrate against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl is meat and potatoes, that's a good thing. But these fans I'm seeing online dump that idea for a bells-and-whistle, potential "Hunter-Island" with some offensive packages mixed in ... (respectfully) I think they need their heads examined. What would you more lament passing on: One side of a field primarily shut down for the opposing offense, or having its backfield consistently wrecked? Good grief.

I'm all for wrecking opposing backfields, but this decision isn't so easy as a one-sentence answer. My guess is this is a dilemma these days for many Jaguars fans – and there's little question it's an ongoing dilemma/debate among the Jaguars' decision-makers as the 2025 NFL Draft approaches. The Jaguars indeed have struggled along both lines enough in recent seasons that many fans want the lines to be a constant priority until they're "fixed." And that's unquestionably an objective for the Jaguars' decision-makers. That's perhaps particularly true along the offensive line, which is a clear focus for General Manager James Gladstone and Head Coach Liam Coen. At the same time, the Jaguars are selecting in the Top 5 of the draft – where there is an opportunity to select players with special, elite traits. University of Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is such a player. The Jaguars aren't wrong to debate selecting Hunter over a lineman if he is available at No. 5 overall – and they wouldn't necessarily be wrong to select him. He might be the sort of elite player you just can't pass. At the same time, when do you start building the lines you so covet? Ah, the dilemma…

J.Hooks from Orange Park, FL

The question you responded to about coaches and insights they had had me thinking about former Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley. He was such a cool, positive guy and really a solid player's coach. I think he made a great head coach attitude-wise. What were your interactions with him like and why do you honestly think it failed so miserably?

My interactions with Bradley when he was the Jaguars' head coach from 2013-2016 were great. He's a high-end NFL defensive coach and a quality leader. Why did his tenure with the Jaguars fail so miserably? There weren't enough good players on the roster. Start there. It never ceases to amaze me how many people judge a head coach solely on record and lay the blame or credit for how a team fares solely with the head coach. It's a player's league. Players make plays. Players make good teams. Even if it's always coaching in the NFL.

John from Jax

Hi, KOAGF. I hate pre-draft mock drafts, hypotheticals and all that comes with it. I'm a results man and not a what coulda shoulda woulda dude. I'm a what is dude. How do I cope other than skipping all the time wasted on pre-draft chatter? I guess sleep is a good option, right?

You could read a book. Or take a walk. There's always bourbon.

Al from Orange Park, FL

Oh, no! Heard the Jags waived Dieter Eiselen! (who the heck is/was he?)

Eiselen is an offensive lineman who indeed was waived by the Jaguars Friday morning. He has been with five NFL teams in some capacity since signing with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. He signed to the Jaguars' practice squad last November 12 and was signed to a futures contract January 6. Many players follow similar low-profile paths and are waived/signed with little fanfare. It doesn't make them bad players. It makes them determined players in a difficult profession.

DMiz from Jagsonville

Yo, KOAF. Let's just be hypothetical here for a minute. If the Jags had the first pick, who would YOU pick in this draft and why?

I would select Penn State edge Abdul Carter because he and Hunter are considered the two best players in the draft. If I'm choosing between two great players, I prefer the player who affects the quarterback on every play as opposed to the player who defenses can negate by throwing to the other side of the field. Give me the lineman here, and the one wo can pressure the passer.

Anita from Springfield

With the Big Bos in town, do you see the prowler throwbacks becoming more of a main stay?

Very possibly.

Bruce from Owensboro, KY

Zoney, it is my assumption that our new regime is looking for actual great football players and not just physical freaks? Wow, who would have thought that a passion, knack, love of the game or just being special was that important? Thanks for the daily dose.

NFL scouting and drafting is hard. Everyone who does it has a philosophy, belief and approach. We've seen some work here and some not work. Gladstone has a strong reputation in this area. Buckle up.

Brad from The Avenues

Hey, John. I was just noticing, after the latest question prompting your rundown of all the connections to Sean McVay, it's kind of starting to feel like that game everyone used to play about Kevin Bacon.

There's an element of six-degrees-of-separation anytime you discuss coaching trees and roots and the like. But this one's not all that complex. Coen worked for Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, as did Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell. Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski worked for the Vikings for O'Connell, so the connections between McVay/O'Connell/Coen/Udinski are very strong. The Jaguars signed multiple players as unrestricted free agents who had played for Coen or McVay or O'Connell in recent seasons. That's relatively common and clear stuff when it comes to NFL coaching connections.

Dwayne from Jacksonville

If Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette submitted questions under a pen name, it would be obvious. The literary style would be concise, insightful and highly entertaining. OMG - do you think he is Gary from St Augustine?

Do you subscribe to the Times-Union?

Dustin from Newberry, FL

In light of the recent concerns about your eyesight, have you considered wearing dark-tinted sunglasses all the time? Not only would you look cooler, but it would also hide your constant blinking and squinting, which many loyal readers are concerned about.

I am the king of all funk.

Don from Marshall NC

It would be nice to see two QBs drafted ahead of the Jaguars! Go Jaguars!

When it comes to wanting to see the Jaguars' draft position enhanced with the selection of two quarterbacks in the top four of the 2025 NFL Draft, Don remains "all in."

Sam from Orlando, FL

Foot race between Brian Thomas Jr. and Eugene "Usain Bolt" Frenette: 40-yard dash. Gene will be shirtless. Who do you have?

Some people describe longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon/thought leader Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette as "sneaky fast." Those people are wrong. He's like the wind. A fast wind.

Greg from Jacksonville

Are you serious with this? Seriously?

No.

Scott from Aruba

So according to OZONE: There are two top quarterbacks in the draft and two special players. The Jags draft No. 5. Everyone panic?

That's pretty much the math – that there's a good chance Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Miami quarterback Cam Ward will be selected in the Top 5, and that there's a good chance Hunter and Carter also will be selected in the Top 5. Does that mean all four go ahead of the Jaguars? Does that mean a player such as Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham won't be a better selection for the Jaguars there than any of the four? No and no. Will Jaguars fans panic over this? Sure. Maybe. Weirder things have happened.

Cory from Jacksonville

KOAF, longtime reader, first-time whatever this is I'm doing. How come I'm seeing next to nothing about linebackers? We did nothing in free agency and it seems to me we're weak here. Am I reading this wrong?

Not from this view. While the Jaguars' linebackers are perhaps not the team's greatest area of need, I can't disagree that it's a group that could – and must – improve. Veteran middle linebacker Foye Oluokun is solid and reliable enough that that position is not a major concern so long as he is healthy. And third-year veteran Ventrell Miller was one of the bright spots of an oft-shaky defense last season. Fourth-year veteran Devin Lloyd has yet to have the productivity expected of a first-round selection; I'll have to wait and see before I expect him to be a breakout, front-line performer at this point. Why didn't the Jaguars address this in free agency? Because it didn't stand out as a major need and there were other groceries to buy. You can't purchase the whole store all at once.

Michael from Orange Park, FL

Most underrated band of all time?

Happy Kyne and the Mirth Makers.