JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it … BCB Member Chris from Jersey:
Ay Johnny B Goode! Long time, no talk. Here's a question for ya: if the Jags sign a high-profile safety and a high-profile pass rusher – say Eric Weddle and Olivier Vernon – and they have equal grades for players at free safety and defensive end for the No. 5 pick, who do you think they would take? Oh – and did ya see our boy A-Rob tear up Hawaii?! And as always, DUUUUUUVVALLLLLL!!!
John: The answer to your main question of course depends on who is available when the Jaguars select at No. 5 overall. If Florida State cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey is there, for example, it might make sense in your scenario to take him and play him at corner for a year or so before moving him to free safety. If Oregon defensive lineman DeForest Buckner is there, perhaps you could play him at various spots along the defensive front. Or maybe you find yourself in a situation to truly take best available player. Oh – and yes, I saw how Robinson did in the Pro Bowl. Oh, and – Duval.
Tudor from St. Augustine, FL:
I HATE the Pro Bowl. Imagine if Allen Robinson caught turf the wrong way and tore an ACL this weekend. What a stupid and pointless risk to the players and their teams. They need to get rid of it, in my opinion. You want to celebrate the players that deserve it, give 'em a trophy.
John: So, you're saying you don't like the Pro Bowl?
Chris from St. Augustine, FL:
Didn't watch much of the Pro Bowl, but I loved waking up to see Allen Robinson with the most yards receiving there. #DTWD
John: The Pro Bowl was cool on that front. I imagine Robinson liked it – a lot more than Tudor, anyway.
Ruben from Ventura, CA:
Do you think Noah Spence is worth our first-round pick if the Jaguars' research into his past checks out? Or do players with a history of trouble need to be knocked down the board? Really hoped he would be our second rounder and I don't think that's possible after the Senior Bowl.
John: Spence, a pass rusher from Eastern Kentucky, had a monster Senior Bowl; considering his prototypical physical attributes, I imagine he will be a first-round selection. I would be surprised given the players available at the top of the draft – and given Spence's off-field issues in college – if he is selected in the Top 5.
Gabe from Washington, DC:
I want to have a little fun here. Say, hypothetically, Ramsey is drafted before the Jaguars' turn to pick. Joey Bosa is available, so they take him. Where would you see him fitting in on first and second down? Assuming in this scenario that Fowler plays LEO, would Bosa be competing with Skuta to play OTTO, or with Odrick/Alualu to play the big end position? Could you see him being plugged in for Marks?
John: First, Bosa appears to be a Top 5 talent; as such, there is an element of not worrying quite so much about exact position fit and figuring he's good enough to adjust to the defense. That said, Bosa appears to be more of an Otto/Leo with a touch of strong-side end, so I don't see him playing for Marks. The early guess is he could play Otto if Fowler is playing the Leo, but remember: the depth chart often goes away once the regular season begins. The Jaguars need pass rushers and the idea is to improve on third down and passing situations. Bosa almost certainly could play a big role there.
John from Starke, FL:
I know the Pro Bowl is glorified flag football, but A-Rob … two catches, 98 yards including a touchdown. Dave: save the CAP; we have some good players that we will need to re-sign in a few years. Jags will no longer be under the radar. Dave and Gus plan is working. The future is bright.
John: Plenty of cap space to sign a few players now and still re-sign own players in a few years. Need to win to be on the radar. Need to start winning. Why am I talking like this?
Ben from Memphis, TN:
Some people have linked the Jaguars to Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins in free agency this offseason, but his teammate cornerback Trumaine Johnson who is also a free agent seems like the better fit as he is 6'2, had 7 interceptions this year, and was ranked by PFF as one of the best cornerback in the league. Thoughts on the Jags going after him?
John: I like the idea because he appears to be an ascending, young player. He reportedly was a little inconsistent early in his career, but was very good in 2015.
Aaron from Chantilly, VA:
John, is there a point when we will stop trading back in the draft barring a ridiculous offer? I would think that we are in Year 3 or 4 now, and we would not need a bunch of new average players, but rather elite level talent. No?
John: I guess I got lost in your question trying to remember the last time the Jaguars traded back in the first round. It was in 2007, when the team traded back from No. 17 to No. 21 and selected University of Florida safety Reggie Nelson.
Christian from Argyle:
Let us be thankful for small miracles, like Shad Khan's deal to buy the Rams a few years back not going through. How different would it look today had Shad bought the Rams? Would Wayne Weaver still own the Jags or would Stan Kroenke have somehow purchased the Jags? A losing record stinks; losing your NFL franchise stinks much more. One fer Shad and another for Wayne for believing Shad was the right owner to buy the Jaguars. Had Kroenke never acquired minority ownership of Rams and Shad been able to purchase the Rams, what do you think the state of the Jaguars would look like today?
John: The question is in a sense impossible to answer because we don't know what Weaver would have done had he not found Khan. And maybe something awesome for Jacksonville and the Jaguars would have happened had Khan bought the Rams. I am sure Weaver would have kept trying to find an owner committed to Jacksonville; that was ultra-important to him, so I'm inclined to say Weaver wouldn't have sold to Kroenke, but who knows? What we do know is it's difficult to imagine a better situation for the Jaguars than Khan purchasing them.
Brian from Charlottesville, VA:
Considering the current level of competition and players dropping out of the Pro Bowl, why doesn't the NFL use the game as an audition of sorts? What if they took players with less than three years of roster experience and players on/off NFL rosters? The general managers could even offer feedback on the roster. Irvin/Rice could draft from the group and the players could be paid the equivalent of one game at the league minimum. Some players would likely see contract offers based on their performance and the fans get to watch a competitive game. Thoughts on this idea?
John: I doubt there would be much interest from fans/public unless there were good, young players in the game – and I doubt general managers would be anxious to volunteer their good, young players for a tryout game.
Ryan from Chapel Hill, NC:
What, if any, impact does this new round of proposals have on last year's Shipyards proposal? Is this the first step in an incremental process or more of a Plan B situation? I had heard something about the logistics of the Shipyard's proposal being tough for the city. Is that plan dead in the water?
John: No. It is not remotely "dead in the water." The Shipyards proposal largely depends on a lot of things that are out of the control of Khan/the Jaguars. Khan didn't want to wait an extended time for those issues to be resolved, so the decision was made to pursue the renovations that were unveiled on Friday. The Jaguars continue to be a proponent of the Shipyards Proposal; if and when it is viable to move forward, that plan can work in lockstep with what is being built at the south end of the stadium.
David from the Island:
Enough about the stadium being old. A nip and tuck here and there, a face lift, and she's good to go. All of these updates are happening. The structure is fine and creature comforts are being updated. What's the point in knocking it down just to build something similar to what's already there?
John: Let's not completely downplay the scope of the renovations taking place. The pool deck, video boards, locker room, training room, US Assure Clubs, flex field and amphitheater are significant heavy lifting; at the least, it's major reconstructive surgery as opposed to tightening some skin here and there. But no doubt – that's the spirit of these things. The Jaguars and the city are rebuilding EverBank Field on the fly, and the result is a newer stadium than the "built-on" date would indicate.