After making an appearance in the AFC championship in 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars fell back down to earth with a lackluster 5-11 campaign. Their elite defense fell off slightly, and their Blake Bortles-led offense was among the worst in the league. With a new quarterback in Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, Jacksonville hopes to return to the playoffs, and their draft haul was designed to help them do that.
Here’s our breakdown of the Jaguars’ picks in the 2019 draft.
Josh Allen | EDGE | Kentucky
The selection of Josh Allen was a bit of a luxury pick for the Jaguars, who already boost the likes of Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell on their defensive line. However, Allen gives them a player who can be a reliable 10-plus sack artist for years to come.
The six-foot-five, 262-pound Allen is an explosive and fluid athlete who fires off the ball with impressive acceleration. He is a very good lateral athlete who can move around in space and drop back in coverage at a high level. His arsenal of pass-rushing moves got much better in 2018, complementing his physical attributes with some technique.
While Allen still needs to get better at using his hands, he has the tools to develop into an elite pass rusher with time. He could be a building block on a defense that already boasts a lot of talented, young players.
Jawaan Taylor | OT | Florida
For the second time in three years, Jacksonville managed to snag an offensive tackle who many thought would be chosen in the first round on Day 2. With Cam Robinson on the blind side, the Jaguars hope they found his complement at right tackle in Jawaan Taylor.
Taylor is a nasty and physically imposing blocker who, at six-foot-five and 312 pounds, has the length to play offensive tackle at the next level. He has a lot of strength in his frame, and he plays with a motor that aims to plow defenders into the ground. He’s an athletic player with solid lateral quickness in his kickslide, and he is pretty good at getting his hands inside the shoulder pads of his opponents.
Though his pad level and overall technique will need some polishing, Taylor has the tools to be a reliable starter on the offensive line for the Jaguars, who now have another talented tackle to help keep Nick Foles upright.
Josh Oliver | TE | San Jose State
Tight end was a massive need for the Jaguars heading into the draft, and they addressed it by adding a potential starter in Josh Oliver in the third round.
Oliver is a well-rounded and athletic receiving tight end who accelerates well off the snap and flips his hips fluidly as a route runner. He can high point passes at a high level, and he has solid breakaway speed after the catch. He has shown flashes as a run blocker, having displayed a powerful punch at times in college. The Jaguars will be able to use him in a lot of different ways, as he excelled at San Jose State as an in-line tight end, an H-back, a slot receiver and as a receiver on the outside.
His sharpness as a route runner and his technique as a blocker aren’t perfect, but Oliver can be a solid target in the passing game for a team that doesn’t have much else at the tight end position at the moment.
Quincy Williams | LB | Murray State
Though the Jaguars were able to come away with steals in the first two rounds of the draft, they also made what many believe to be the biggest reach of the year by selecting Quincy Williams in the third round.
The older brother of New York Jets rookie Quinnen Williams, Quincy is a linebacker-safety hybrid who plays with a high motor and impressive closing speed. His 4.59 40-yard dash is an indicator of his play speed on the field, as he accelerates very quickly upon making his diagnoses. Williams is a reliable tackler, as he had 111 total tackles in his senior season. He’s an explosive athlete who had a 39.5-inch vertical jump and a 124-inch broad jump.
Williams doesn’t have great instincts, his lateral agility is below average, and he’s undersized for a linebacker at only five-foot-eleven and 225 pounds. Jacksonville had enough faith in him to use a top-100 pick on him, but he would probably be best utilized on special teams early in his career.
Ryquell Armstead | RB | Temple
Outside of Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars underwent a facelift in their running back room. In addition to Alfred Blue, Thomas Rawls and Benny Cunningham, Jacksonville drafted Ryquell Armstead in the fifth round.
Armstead runs with determination and a high motor, and he consistently falls forward through contact to pick up extra yards on his way down. He has an NFL-caliber frame at five-foot-eleven and 220 pounds and is good at keeping a low center of gravity. He ran an impressive 4.45 40-yard dash at the Combine, and while his tape isn’t full of explosive athleticism, he has solid wiggle in the open field.
Armstead finds himself in a crowded running back room in Jacksonville, but he has the talent to emerge and develop into a reliable backup for Fournette.
Gardner Minshew | QB | Washington State
With their sixth-round pick, the Jaguars found a young backup for Nick Foles in Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year Gardner Minshew.
Minshew put up fantastic production in Washington State’s Air Raid system, totaling 4,779 passing yards, a 70.7 completion percentage and throwing 38 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He is a mechanically-sound thrower who drops back with good footwork and has a quick release. He has solid straight-line athleticism when picking up yards with his feet, he flashes solid accuracy and ball placement, and he’s reliable at identifying checkdown options.
Though Minshew doesn’t have great arm strength or the consistent ability to read defenses, he could be a solid backup in the NFL who can step in and be a game manager in relief of an injured starter.
Dontavius Russell | DT | Auburn
The Jaguars added some additional depth to their defensive line with their last pick in the draft, adding Dontavius Russell in the sixth round.
The six-foot-three, 319-pound Russell fires off the snap with impressive quickness for his size. He’s a good straight-line athlete at the interior defensive line position, and his closing speed as a run defender in space is solid. He has heavy hands and packs a powerful punch at the initial point of contact. A four-year starter at Auburn, Russell has flashed run-stuffing ability and was a solid gap eater in college.
Russell’s pad level and hand usage needs some work, and his upside as a pass rusher is limited. However, he has the tools to stick around on the roster as a reliable backup.
