The Jaguars missed on some picks but this grade reflects the homerun they hit in the second round with “little” Maurice Drew.  Here is a breakdown of their draft:

1st round pick Mercedes Lewis was a little disappointing for the Jaguars.  With the team weak at WR they tried to get a good pass catching TE to give them more options in the passing game, but it didn’t work out well for them.  Lewis played in 15 games (3 starts) and he only caught 13 passes for 126 yards (9.7 avg) with 1 TD catch.

2nd round pick Maurice Drew had an awesome rookie season.  He touched the ball 244 times this season and amassed 2,250 yards for a average of 9.2 yards every time his hands touched the football.  He played in all 16 games (1 start) and he carried the ball 166 times for 941 yards (5.7 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He also caught 46 passes for 436 yards (9.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Drew also returned 31 kickoffs for 860 yards (27.7 avg) and returned one of them for a touchdown.  He also returned 1 punt for 13 yards.  Drew will be the main man as soon as Fred Taylor leaves or retires.

3rd round pick OLB Clint Ingram wound up also being a good pick.  With all the injuries to the linebacking corps, he got a chance to show what he can do.  He played in 14 games and made 71 tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception and defensed two passes.  He looks like a starter for the stout Jaguars defense.

5th round pick DE Brent Hawkins also looks like a keeper.  He played in 6 games and made 9 tackles and had 2 sacks.

7th round pick DE James Wyche didn’t play a single down this season.

The Jaguars other 7th round pick, Demetrice Webb, played well enough to stick around next season.  He played in 11 games and made 17 tackles, had an interception and defended a pass.

Things that seem too good to be true generally are.  Mercedes Lewis looked like the perfect fit in the Jags offense, a big, fast tight end.  Lewis has played in 11 games (2 starts) and has caught 7 passes for 67 yards (9.6 avg) and a TD.  It’s too early to say that Lewis is a bust, but he couldn’t even beat out George Wrighster for the starting job and that speaks volumes about Lewis.

Webb talks to much trash, and that’s part of the reason he slid to the 7th round.  Alot of times he doesn’t back it up, getting repeatedly scorched by Florida State and Alabama’s wideouts.  He can take away the short game, because he is a physical player.  Webb is slow for a corner though (4.55 40) and would get burnt to a crisp if asked to guard NFL wideouts man-to-man.  He is a good special teams player.

Webb played in 35 games at Florida (24 starts) and made 118 tackles, broke up 24 passes, had 4 interceptions and forced three fumbles.

Webb was worth the risk in round 7.

Wyche improved his draft position by having a solid showing in the East-West Shrine game.  He has a lot of good pass-rush moves but he lacks the bulk and strength to succeed as anything more than a situational pass-rusher at this point in his career.  He’s thin at 6′5″, 258….and needs to be a workout warrior to improve his standing with the Jaguars.

Hawkins was a huge reach here as not many expected him to be drafted.  He was a defensive end at Illinois State but will be moved to linebacker due to his lack of size to play the line (6′2″, 240).  Hawkins is a project, but he could help out on special teams immediately.