2008 Jacksonville Jags NFL Draft Needs

The Jaguars have been among the best teams in the NFL on draft day the past five seasons. Out of those five drafts, they have landed 11 starters with cornerback Rashean Mathis and fullback Greg Jones earning Pro Bowl honors. Jacksonville has a good defense, but the team would like to get more of a pass rush, so they could target a defensive end with their first round selection. But Jacksonville's draft success has stemmed from a take the best player available approach as opposed to drafting solely based on need. So if the defensive ends they like are no longer on the board, the Jags won't hesitate to look to fill other areas. Jimmy Boyd's 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Draft needs are highlighted below.

#1 Defensive End

The only thing holding this defense back from becoming truly dominant is the inability to get consistent pressure on the QB consistently. Jacksonville will likely have a shot at Clemson's Phillip Merling, Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, or Auburn's Quentin Groves. Either of these three guys should be considered good enough for the Jags to take with their first round pick.

#2 Wide Receiver

The Jags finally have their QB in place and can now start to develop offensively. It's clear that they are weak at the wide receiver slot with no true number one wideout. It's not likely that the Jags will find that number one in this year's draft, but I still expect them to target a player who they will try to develop. Kansas State's Jordy Nelson, Louisville's Harry Douglas, Florida's Andre Caldwell, and Kentucky's Steve Johnson are all guys which can stretch the field and will spark Jacksonville's interest because of it.

#3 Safety

The Jags will look to add safety depth in the later rounds. Getting a player like Texas' Marcus Griffin or Arkansas State's Tyrell Jackson would be a great pickup. Sammy Knight was not able to adequately fill in for starter Gerald Sensabaugh last season when he went down with a season-ending injury. While Sensabaugh will be back, his injury pointed out the fact that the Jags must get another talent waiting in the wings.

#4 Defensive Tackle

Marcus Stroud has had a bad case of the injury bug the past two seasons. While Jacksonville will continue to hold out hope that he can get his health together, they can't wait to pull in a quality prospect that will be able to step right in and perform if called upon. The Jags won't look to fill this spot until the later rounds, but if a talented prospect, projected higher, slips down the board, the Jags have shown that they can and will change plans to pounce.

#5 Guard

Don't be surprised if Coach Koetter, who previously coached at Arizona State, takes a strong look at Arizona State's Brandon Rodd, a player he is familiar with, late in the draft.

Make sure you check out all of Jimmy Boyd's 2008 NFL Draft previews to see what direction your favorite NFL team might be headed in. Also check out our 2008 NFL Mock Draft to see how Jimmy sees the first round shaping up.

April 1st, 2008