Many NFL Draft pundits that once again the Oakland Raiders would turn the draft on its ear. This year that honor fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the tenth overall pick.
I am not saying that DE Tyson Alualu was not a first round talent, many draft gurus out there gave him a first round grade, but no one thought he would be the first DE off the board with the likes of Derrick Morgan, Jason Pierre- Paul, and Sergio Kindle still on the board.
With that being said I understand why the Jags made this choice. They had him as their highest rated DE, and they think he will pair nicely with Jason Kampman. They may be right, and only time will tell on this pick.
In the third round (the Jaguars had no second round pick) the work on the D line continued. With the 74th overall pick they selected DT D’Anthony Smith . They plan to use him to occupy double teams to free up their Linebackers inside.
With a pair of fifth round picks the Jaguars took a pair of DE’s in Larry Hart and Austen Lane. That is four picks along the defensive line, and the thinking has to be that this unit was so bad in 2009 that it required a serious rebuilding effort.
Hart will be a situational pass rusher to start, while Lane will be an every down edge pass rusher. Both of these picks seem to be pass rushing prospects that the team intends to groom.
With their two sixth round pick the team selected RB Deji Karim and KR Scotty McGee. Karim figures to be the back up to Maurice Jones-Drew, and will likely spell him when needed. McGee is very quick and will be counted on to deliver big plays to the return game that had few in 2009.
Now a more complete look at the 2010 Jaguars draft class:
Round One (10)- DT Tyson Alualu Cal
Round Three (74)- DT D’Anthony Smith Louisiana Tech
Round Five (143)- DE Larry Hart Central Arkansas
Round Five (153)- DE Austen Lane Murray State
Round Six (180)- RB Deji Karim Southern Illinois
Round Six (203)- KR Scotty McGee James Madison
Related Links:
• Jacksonville Jaguars news and notes
• 2010 NFL Draft initial team grades
• The Business of the NFL
• MTR Football.com
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