DraftAce Blog

Year round coverage of the NFL Draft.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Jaguars Sign Torry Holt

The Jaguars have agreed to a 2-year contract with former Rams receiver Torry Holt. The addition of Holt further leads me to believe that Mark Sanchez and Jeremy Maclin are unlikely options for the Jaguars.

Why? Because the additions of Holt and Tra Thomas are clearly moves to make them competitive in the near future. Rookie quarterbacks and receivers very rarely have a significant impact on a playoff team, so selecting Sanchez or Maclin would be a step in the wrong direction.

So who are realistic options? Well if either Eugene Monroe or Jason Smith were to fall, they would be the obvious choices. Either one could start at right tackle over Tony Pashos immediately. Michael Oher is also a very real possibility given his ability to step in and start right away on the offensive line. B.J. Raji is also an option, and could be the most likely option. Aaron Curry is another player that could start right away, but odds are he'll be off the board.

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Friday, April 3, 2009

Report: Cushing, Matthews Test Positive for Steroids

According to NFLDraftBible.com, Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing tested positive for steroids at the combine and will be on a list distributed to teams in the near future of players that tested positive for various drugs while in Indianapolis. In addition to Matthews and Cushing, the website reports that Vontae Davis, B.J. Raji, Jose Martinez and Percy Harvin tested positive for marajuana.

The agents of Matthews, Cushing and Davis have all denied the reports. In addition, the NFL released a statement noting that the list of names that tested positive has not yet been released. However, the league did not dispute the claims. While the fact that the league responded indicates that the report was likely false, it isn't exactly an ironclad statement of innocence for those players. The players who did test positive in Indianapolis have all been notified of their positive test, and a prudent agent would have contact teams to prepare them for the release of the list. Reason being, the more time teams have to do their homework on the players in question, the more likely they are forgive and forget and proceed with their original grade on the player. Both NFLDraftBible.com and SI.com, which first reported the Raji positive test on Thursday, cited team sources which could have received the information from agents.

For the time being, take this report with a grain of salt. No credible sources have been able to confirm the report on Matthews and Cushing and it certainly could be a hoax. With that said, keep an eye out for more information in the next few days. The official information will be released eventually and all this drama will be put to bed.

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Myth Busters: Why the Jaguars won't draft a receiver

Many mock drafts are popping up with Jeremy Maclin or Michael Crabtree landing in Jacksonville. Its a logical fit, but its not going to happen.

Here's why...

The Jaguars are building to win now. The addition of Tra Thomas and the attempts to land Tory Holt clearly demonstrate that. Its a commonly accepted belief, supported by numerous examples, that receivers don't reach their full potential until their 3rd year in the league. Jack Del Rio and the Jaguars aren't willing to wait for Crabtree or Maclin to develop. Additionally, top 10 picks are rewarded with a large sum of money, and it simply isn't a prudent financial move to tie up that much money in a player that may not have an impact until the contract is halfway over.

Another reason is the Jaguars' terrible luck with receivers in the first round. Reggie Williams and Matt Jones have been busts and the Jags don't want to get burned again. Projecting the success of receivers is a very inexact science, something that Jacksonville knows all too well.

In the end, the Jaguars will have too many other viable options to justify taking a receiver in the 1st round. B.J. Raji and Malcolm Jenkins are more relalistic and far safety options for the Jaguars.

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