Durant was a major reach for the Jaguars in the 2nd round.  Many experts had him going in the 4th or 5th round of the draft.  Durant is 6′0″, 229 and he runs a 4.6 40 yard dash so he has the physical tools to succeed in the NFL, but he played at Hampton and it will be a huge leap for him in competition.  In 42 games (34 starts) at Hampton, Durant made 353 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, had 12 sacks, broke up 16 passes and intercepted 4 passes.  Durant played middle linebacker in college but he will likely slide outside for the Jaguars.  He has the skill set needed to succeed in the Pros but he will need to get a little tougher as he some times runs around blockers instead of engaging and shedding.  He was a reach for the Jaguars this early in the Draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars really needed a legit WR for their offense and a lot of good ones were available at this pick but they decided to select safety Reggie Nelson instead.  Nelson is a good football player and he will make the Jags defense even more physical than they already are if that is possible.  Nelson is 6′0″, 198 pounds and he’s really fast as he runs a 40 in 4.4 seconds.  Nelson played in only 25 games at Florida (18 starts) and he made 97 tackles, broke up 6 passes, had 7 interceptions (76 return yards), forced 1 fumble and recovered 1 fumble.  Nelson also helps out on special teams as he blocked 2 kicks last season for the National Champion Gators.  Nelson will make the defense even better for the Jaguars and he was a good pick at this point in the first round.

1. (21)  Reggie Nelson, S, Florida

2. (48)  Justin Durant, OLB, Hampton

3. (79)  Mike Walker, WR, Central Florida

4. (101)  Adam Podlesh, P, Maryland

4. (113)  Brian Smith, LB, Missouri

5. (149)  Uche Nwaneri, G, Purdue

5. (150)  Josh Gattis, S, Wake Forest

5. (166)  Derek Landri, DT, Notre Dame

7. (229)  John Broussard, WR, San Jose State

7. (251)  Chad Nkang, LB, Elon

7. (252)  Andrew Carnahan, OT, Arizona State

The Jacksonville Jaguars did a great job of getting good value out of their first round draft pick.  They traded the #17 pick in the 1st round to the Denver Broncos for the Broncos’ #1 pick (#21), their 3rd rounder (#86) and their 6th rounder (#198).  The Jags did a good job picking up extra picks and they will probably still get one of the players they coveted at #21.

I have conducted a complete 7 round draft for every team in the NFL.  If you want to see what I have projected for any other team in the NFL, click on the team name in the right hand margin and go to the team’s Draft Report page if you don’t see the article on the front page of the site.  This was a lot of work so I hope you enjoy it.

The Jaguars are a solid football team and on draft day they will probably be looking for wherever the value on their board takes them.  With that in mind, here is who I think the Jaguars will draft:

1. (17)  Robert Meacham, WR, Tennessee

2. (48)  Tim Crowder, DE, Texas

3. (79)  Doug Free, OT, Northern Illinois

4. (113)  C.J. Gaddis, CB, Clemson

5. (150)  J.D. Nelson, S, Oregon

6. (194)  Marvin White, S, TCU

7. (229)  Le’Ron McClain, FB, Alabama

7. (251)  Matt Trannon, WR, Michigan State

7. (252)  Rondell Biggs, DE, Michigan

The Jaguars are in dire need of a legit WR and Robert Meacham certainly fits that bill.  They got solid value all through the draft if they get this bunch of football players.