NFL Draft: 5 teams in clear need of a quarterback in 2019
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Jacksonville Jaguars
Current Starter: Blake Bortles
How the mighty have fallen.
A year after a stout defense and strong running game carried the Jaguars all the way to the AFC Championship game, the 3-7 Jags now find themselves also looking at the reality of a top-five selection in April’s draft.
If the draft started today, Jacksonville would pick eighth. One thing is certain, however, the window for the Jaguars to win a Super Bowl will be extremely narrow as long as the team continues to place faith in its current starter, Blake Bortles.
Bortles’ 84.3 passer rating tells you nearly everything you need to know — he’s not a franchise quarterback. He won’t be anytime soon, if ever. And the earlier Jacksonville realizes this, the better the team will be at capitalizing on that tenuous window.
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson’s latest mock draft actually has the Jaguars taking Justin Herbert, also suggesting the Giants pass on the Oregon quarterback and take a cornerback instead.
That assumes New York makes the same decision from a year ago, which doesn’t seem likely at all. No, by most rational thought, the Giants take Herbert and leave the Jaguars to fend for another reaching option.
Perhaps trading up and over New York would be in the Jags’ best interests. They’re almost there to get to a Super Bowl, so why not be aggressive?