JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Alan from Jacksonville
Over a span of three years and 1,002 passing plays, Anton Harrison allowed four sacks and three quarterback hits. I think I understand the pick. Well done trading down. We now have plenty of ammo to trade up should another of our targeted players drop.
The Jaguars on Thursday selected University of Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison with the No. 27 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. They traded their original '23 Round 1 selection, No. 24 overall, to the New York Giants for the No. 25 selection. They also received the Nos. 160 (Round 5) and 240 selection (Round 7) in that trade. They then traded the No. 25 selection to the Buffalo Bills for the No. 27 selection and the No. 130 selection (Round 4). They traded back from No. 24 so long as they felt comfortable they would still get Harrison, then they stopped trading and made the selection. The selection isn't terribly hard to understand. The Jaguars considered Harrison a high value in the bottom third of Round 1, and they had a need at the position. The need wasn't so much about starting left tackle Cam Robinson reportedly being suspended to start the 2023 regular season as a short-term need for a swing tackle/guard and a long-term need for a starting tackle and quality offensive lineman. But yes … the addition of three more draft selections does give General Manager Trent Baalke a lot of potential trade equity in the final six rounds of the draft. Thursday was wild for the Jaguars. We'll see what Friday and Saturday bring.
Karter from Tucson, AZ
Hey, Zone. Do you think we took an OT due to Robinson's upcoming suspension?
No. I think the Jaguars selected Harrison for multiple reasons. One was they believe strongly in having a quality swing tackle, particularly having benefitted last season when Walker Little replaced an injured Robinson and played at a high level late in the season. Another was Robinson's contract is structured in such a way he could be released for salary cap reasons after the 2023 season; that's not a given, but it's possible. Finally, this team wants a strong offensive line. It didn't address tackle or guard in the 2022 NFL Draft; if you're going to have a strong offensive line, you must invest early draft selections regularly.
JT from Palm Coast, FL
Solid pick. Need O-line depth. Trent getting extra picks may allow for more movement also. I'm sure not everyone will be happy, but I like what we are doing so far.
One fer Harrison …
Jordan from Mandarin
Great teams have great O-lines. Love the pick and I wouldn't mind if we go O-line again in Round 2 or 3.
… and another fer …
Boxcutter Bill from Mass
Trade back, gain a pick, and then draft a monster. Let's get a safety/nickel who can play now, and we're all set. I'm all in.
… and another fer …
DuvalJag95 from J-ville
Terrible pick could've got him at 56. What a waste of a first-round pick. Could've got Penn State cornerback Joey Porter or Alabama safety Brian Branch and picked up Anton at No. 56. Now we probably won't get either. Very disappointing seems we're moving backwards again. My confidence is gone again.
… and one not fer.
DenMiz from Diluuuval
NFL.com had Anton Harrison rated at 6.27 on an eight-point scale meaning, according to their stats, he will be an average starter at best. What's your thought about the Jags picking him versus some of the other offensive tackles available? I love that we traded down for the ability to use those extra picks to trade back up (if that's Trent Baalke's plan.) Just hope Harrison was actually the best player available.
I pay little attention to specific grades from media sources. Maybe Harrison will be good, or average, or bad. Time will tell and there's no way to know the morning after a draft. But Harrison was the fifth offensive tackle selected in Round 1 and the others – Paris Johnson Jr. of Ohio State (No. 6, Arizona), Darnell Wright of Tennessee (No. 10, Chicago), Peter Skoronski of Northwestern (No. 11, Tennessee) and Broderick Jones of Georgia (No. 14, Pittsburgh) – were selected 10 selections before the Jaguars' original selection of No. 24. The Jaguars didn't pass on any tackles to move down three selections. Was he actually the best player available? The Jaguars thought so. That's why they selected him.
Steve from Nashville, TN
With the news this week that the Tennessee Titans received the go-ahead to build an enclosed stadium by 2027 making the AFC South the only NFL division with three indoor fields, does this provide the Jaguars with any advantage playing home division games in the elements versus division opponents coming from air-conditioned comfort?
It depends on if the Jaguars are good enough to take advantage of the conditions.
Mark from Archer
Zone, I hopped online to see who the Jags picked. What was up with all the trading? They kept trading back for nothing but late-round picks. That seems a huge waste.
The Jaguars traded back three spots and selected the player they would have selected at the original spot. They gained fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round selections. The fourth- and fifth-rounders certainly aren't wastes, particularly considering they gave up little value.
William from Wheat Ridge
Hello John, can you or any of your fellow sport reporting personnel explain to me why the word "obvious" is used so much? It's very distracting and insulting for the educated listener.
I'm too uneducated to understand this question. Obviously.
Michael from Indy via Jacksonville
With it now looking that Cam Robinson is going to be a significant time away, do the Jags have to pay him? He can cause the Jaguars some serious damage. What would be the cap damage if the Jaguars decided it was time to go in another direction?
The Jaguars don't have to pay Robinson for the time he will be suspended. They do have to pay him for the portion of the 2023 season in which he plays. Robinson would cost the Jaguars $26 million on the salary cap for 2023 if they released him this offseason. They will not be releasing him this offseason.
George from Arlington, VA
I am very happy for DaVon Hamilton. He is such a nice person, once I got a signed DaVon Hamilton miniature helmet and although he already signed it he faked signed it so I could get a photo. Overall, he's a great guy and deserves the extension.
One fer Hamilton.
Brad from Jacksonville
Why can't a small-market team recoup a billion to renovate the stadium since all teams share revenue equally?
Because NFL teams don't share revenue equally. They share television revenue equally. Local revenue – revenue from ticket sales, sponsorship, etc. – is not shared. That's why teams in big markets can finance their own multibillion-dollar stadiums whereas smaller-market teams cannot.
Fred from Naples, FL
At first blush the terms of DaVon Hamilton's new contract looks pricey at a potential of $36 million with incentives. However, when you look at how it is paid out, it does make sense as almost half of it is paid out this upcoming year. A shrewd move by Jaguars General Manager Trent Baalke as he knows the big Trevor Lawrence contract will start next year in all likelihood. Good move as Hamilton had a career year last year and it continues to send good messages throughout as we continue to lock up our own long-term.
OK.
Lane from Winter Garden, FL
John, If a team declines a player's fifth-year option then trades that player, can the new team exercise the fifth-year option?
No. The fifth-year option is part of an NFL first-round selection's rookie contract. If a team exercises the option and trades the player, the player is under the option with the team. If the fifth-year option is not exercised before the deadline to do so, a new team cannot exercise it.
Jimsure from DBS
With the suspension of our starting tackle and his loss of salary can the team add that money back into available cap dollars?
Yes.
Jeremy from Gilbert, AZ
So, how does draft and develop work? You just draft quarterback, offensive tackle, defensive line or cornerback in the top rounds every year? And you do this because you failed to draft good players for those positions previously? I don't think the draft and develop approach works unless you actually pick players that end up on second or third contracts and help the team long term. Thoughts?
The goal when drafting and developing is to draft well and have those players be good players. If you do this well enough, then you must make some choices about which players to sign to second contracts. But no … of course the approach doesn't work if you don't draft good players. I'm not sure there's significant confusion on this topic.
