JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it … Greg from St. Augustine, FL:
With no Allen Robinson or Allen Hurns, who's the Jaguars' No. 1 receiver? Not Marqise Lee. Not Donte Moncrief. If not them, then who?
John: This is a tricky question that likely won't completely play itself out until training camp this summer – and it's very possible the Jaguars won't have a true No. 1 wide receiver next season. This might be considered an NFL tragedy if not for the fact that the Jaguars made the AFC Championship Game last season without a True No. 1 – and they appear to have a very real chance of being better at wide receiver overall than last season. Remember: the Jaguars' receiver rotation took on a very different look last season following Robinson's Week 1 torn anterior cruciate ligament; whereas Robinson was on the field for more than 90 percent of the offensive plays in 2016, Lee and Keelan Cole led the Jaguars' wide receivers with both playing a little more than 60 percent of the team's plays this past season. I would expect something similar from the Jaguars' receivers in 2018 with Lee and Donte Moncrief starting. As for right now, I would expect Lee to possibly move inside in passing situations with Cole and Moncrief on the outside. One possibility to consider is if the Jaguars draft a receiver early, which I do believe is a possibility. How that player fits into the system obviously would affect the entire rotation.
Tim from Jacksonville:
The morning talk radio boys are guessing that the Jaguars will select the best player available regardless of position during the draft due to the overall quality of the team starters. But my understanding of your opinion is that the Jaguars will draft based on need at offensive line, receiver and tight end. Are the morning boys just wrong?
John: The draft usually isn't a clear-cut case of a team drafting for strictly "need" or "best available player." The world is a grayer place than that – and in this case, I believe the Jaguars' draft will be grayer, too. My thought is that will mean the Jaguars taking the best available player at a position that makes some sense in terms of need. The best guess is that will mean a wide receiver, offensive linemen or tight end if there is a player available that is worth the selection. We'll see.
Dwayne from Jacksonville:
Do you have a limit to the number of characters you may have in an answer? Lately, it seems answers are cut off mid-sentence, especially when there is mention of the word uni
John: I don't know what you're talking
John from Jagsville:
Many people discuss or question paying Corey Grant. And what often gets mentioned is his potential (i.e. the AFC Championship Game). What I think gets overlooked at times was his contribution and threat on special teams throughout the season, with two major plays and just being in the formation forces the defense to scheme punt returns a bit less aggressively. He is a pretty big factor on our punt teams. Do you agree?
John: I've also heard people discussing and questioning the Jaguars paying Grant nearly $3 million next season. Perhaps the most important factor to remember is that paying Grant that amount really isn't that ridiculous even if all he did was play special teams. The Jaguars, remember, are making a significant effort to improve their special teams, which was why they signed linebacker Lerentee McCray, tight end Niles Paul, safety Cody Davis and safety Don Carey as free agents in addition to re-signing Grant. The Jaguars didn't think they were nearly good enough in that area; they now have at least five veterans who should play major roles. And yes … Grant's presence on special teams does give the Jaguars a speed element for which teams must account. One thing the discussion on Grant this offseason does illustrate is that he figures to be a relatively major storyline next season. His speed is unique and clearly something the Jaguars value. It's also something they were able to utilize in a big way in the AFC Championship Game last season. I don't really foresee Grant being the top backup running back in the sense that he would be the top option if/when Leonard Fournette is injured, but I do think he'll have a bigger role offensively.
Bill from Orange Park, FL:
Better pick? Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack or Yannick Ngakoue?
John: The instinct here is to select all of the above because I don't know how you answer the question. I suppose you must say Ramsey because he appears to have a very real chance of being one of the best few players in the history of the franchise. Perhaps a better question is where will the Jaguars' 2016 draft rank not only among all-time Jaguars drafts but recent drafts in NFL history? Ramsey and Ngakoue were Pro Bowl selections this past season and I believe Jack will have a good chance to join them next season. Package that with a 2014 draft that included multiple players including quarterback Blake Bortles, wide receivers Robinson and Lee, center Brandon Linder, cornerback Aaron Colvin and linebacker Telvin Smith signing second contracts with the Jaguars or somewhere else … well, it's easy to credit unrestricted free agency as a reason for the Jaguars' improvement last season, but the Jaguars in the last few seasons have drafted pretty darned well, too.
Matt from Section 133:
So, if Cody Kessler doesn't make the roster, the Jags don't have to give up a draft pick next year. What do the Browns get if he doesn't make the team? I'm confused; why would a team in the Browns' position agree to a trade like that? They could potentially end up losing a player and getting absolutely nothing for him.
John: The Jaguars traded a conditional seventh-round selection to the Browns for Kessler, and the condition is Kessler must make the Jaguars' roster. If he doesn't, the Jaguars indeed don't give up the selection. The reason the Browns would make the trade is there wasn't a good market for Kessler and they wanted to make room for quarterbacks they wanted. It's better than releasing the player straight up because there is a chance they can get a seventh-round selection.
Ed from Danvers, MA:
John- is there a limit as to how many potential draftees can visit a team? Does the team take the prospect/agent/family to dinner? Is Shadrick involved?
John: Thirty prospects may visit a team's facility. Sometimes. Absolutely, positively not.
Steve from Arlington:
Tom Coughlin said last week he expected Jaguars players to be in the Hall of Fame soon. Do you expect this – and do you expect more than Tony Boselli?
John: I took note when Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin said that during the 2018 NFL Annual Meetings last week. He was referring to the Jaguars' new uniforms having a boldness and an acknowledgment of the past – and he also seemed to be expressing confidence that the Jaguars would have Hall of Famers sooner rather than later. I agree that Boselli will get in soon; I believe it will happen in the next year or two, and my sense at the Super Bowl in February is that he truly has enough support that it will happen eventually. My sense is that once Boselli is in momentum will build for former Jaguars running back Fred Taylor. I don't honestly think his chances are quite as good as Boselli's because I think Boselli having been on the All-Decade team and a three-time Associated Press All-Pro gives him resume lines that Taylor lacks. But that doesn't make Taylor undeserving; it will just make the lift for those of us discussing and arguing his case a little heavier.
Chris from Mandarin, FL:
The problem with wearing no helmets is someone will get their head stomped in.
John: Yeah, probably.
Bradley from Rockport:
You need a quarterback – eight – from Louisville.
John: I assume you're referring to Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, and it's true that Jackson is perhaps No. 1 on the 2018 NFL Draft wish list for many Jaguars fans. I doubt that's going to happen. The Jaguars are committed to Blake Bortles as the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future and I get zero sense that the team plans to draft a quarterback in the early rounds this month. Drafting one would create the immediate perception that the team doesn't believe in Bortles and that there is a transition pending at some point in the next season or two. I've heard nothing to indicate that's remotely the plan. And even if that wasn't the case, there's the matter of whether or not Jackson would be available at end of Round 1. It seems unlikely that would be the case, which would mean needing to trade up to get him. That starts getting into a steep price range.
Will from Jacksonville:
Not counting special teams, what position do you think the Jaguars are least likely to draft in the first round?
John: Quarterback.