Connor Neal | April 27th, 2020
Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft the Jaguars had a lot of needs and a lot of draft picks to fill those needs. The most glaring of those needs were cornerback, wide receiver, defensive end, defensive tackle, and offensive tackle. They addressed all five of those with their first five picks.
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Round 1, Pick 9: C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
After trading away both starting cornerbacks, Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, the Jaguars were in desperate need to fill that hole. I believe the Jaguars may have reached a little bit on taking Henderson at 9, but he wouldn’t have been there at 20 so it makes sense. However, Henderson fills the Jaguars need perfectly and will be an instant starter in Jacksonville.
Henderson is an extremely fast cornerback who is elite in press coverage. He also excels in both man and zone coverage with tremendous instincts and ball skills. You will occasionally see him get burnt but his make up speed is amazing. He had a bit of a down year in 2019 but before that, he was one of, if not, the best cornerback in the country.
Grade: A
CJ Henderson CB @GatorsFB 6 3/4, 204, Ran 4.39 VG press CB. He plays at that speed. Plays zone well too. His DB drill work at the Combine was better than Jeff Okudah. High 1st rd pick value @NFLDraft @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/hoHIym3rBd
— Charley Casserly (@CharleyCasserly) April 20, 2020
Round 1, Pick 20: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU
With Yannick Ngakoue’s future with the Jaguars still unknown this pick is great. Not only is Chaisson the second-best pass rusher in this class, but he also gives the Jaguars the ability to finally play 3-4 and properly utilize their first-round pick from last year, Josh Allen.
Chaisson had one of the fastest first steps I saw on tape this year. He got off the line way before anyone else did. Combine that with his bend, block shed, gap penetration skills, tackling, pursuit, and coverage ability he is the perfect outside linebacker for a 3-4 defense.
Grade: A
Alright, I'm sold on K'Lavon Chaisson. pic.twitter.com/HTRCTopOjI
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) April 24, 2020
Round 2, Pick 42: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
After addressing both glaring needs on defense, the Jaguars needed to give Gardner Minshew some help. In John Gruden’s new system Laviska Shenault Jr. is the dream receiver. He will make Dede Westbrook look bad and be what we all hoped Westbrook was going to be.
Shenault has nice hands, route running, gets good separation, has good game speed, and runs like he’s from a video game. On top of all that, he is by far the best receiver from this class at yards after the catch. He forced the most forced missed tackles out of every receiver in this class, recording 44. Because of his skill set, Shenault can line up almost anywhere and play at a high level. He can play running back, wide receiver, slot receiver, and everything in between.
Grade: A+
😮@CUBuffsFootball sent us a highlight video of @Viska2live to share with you and its over 9 minutes long 👀 pic.twitter.com/IDjG7XU8HZ
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) April 25, 2020
Round 3, Pick 73: Davon Hamilton, DT, Ohio State
After trading away Calais Campbell to the Ravens, the Jaguars really needed a defensive tackle. They found a very solid one in Hamilton. Hamilton struggles to rush the passer but is elite in stopping the run. This man can clog just about every hole there is. He is extremely strong, plays with great leverage, and tackles well. He isn’t the quickest off the line but he is typically one of the strongest.
Grade: A-
Love this rep by Davon Hamilton against Tyler Biadasz.
Low man wins, and Hamilton does a great job of getting low and working his hands through Biadasz's chest so he controls the line of scrimmage. Then, it's all about the stack and shed after to make the tackle.
Great play. pic.twitter.com/l69ZMepICw
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) January 15, 2020
Round 4, Pick 116: Ben Bartch, OT, St. John’s
Heading into Day 3, the Jaguars still needed to address offensive tackle and in my opinion, they got the best developmental prospect in this year’s class. Bartch has the skillset to become a starting left tackle in a year or two. Bartch has a very nice burst, good footwork, lateral movement, strength, balance, bend, and hand placement. If Bartch played the way he did at a division one school, he’d be a day one starter and would have gone day 2. However, he played in division 3. Jumping from division three to the NFL is a huge jump that not all can handle. However, he has the skillset to develop into a starting tackle or possibly become a starting guard halfway through this year.
Grade: A
Ben Bartch was just shoving dudes all over the field pic.twitter.com/xwb9zGCLZI
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) April 25, 2020
Round 4, Pick 137: Josiah Scott, CB, Michigan State
This was the first confusing pick the Jaguars made to me. Scott is a very good corner who will take over for D.J. Hayden after this season. However, the best nickel corner in this class was still available in Amik Robertson. For that sole reason, this isn’t my favorite pick. On the other hand, Scott has fantastic ball skills and is a very aggressive cornerback who will develop into a nice starting level nickel.
Grade: C+
This is all I needed to see to fall in love with the Josiah Scott pick.
We stan.
🎥: @RussNFLDraft pic.twitter.com/1QmTKfeNUY
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) April 25, 2020
Round 4, Pick 140: Shaquille Quarterman, LB, Miami
The Jaguars didn’t exactly need another inside linebacker after signing Joe Schobert to a massive contract during free agency. This pick is puzzling all around to me. The Jaguars more so needed an outside linebacker who can play SAM and cover well. Quarterman will strictly be an inside linebacker in the NFL due to his inability to cover anything. In his defense, he does hit very hard, can blitz very well, and maybe one of the better run defending linebackers from this class. I don’t believe Quarterman is a bad player, I just don’t like the fit.
Grade: C-
Shaquille Quarterman @OgBoobie_Shaq is one of the most underrated LB’s in this years Draft. He reads and reacts quickly. pic.twitter.com/0eHxHyJSQZ
— Anthony Pupo (@anthonypupo94) April 20, 2020
Round 5, Pick 157: Daniel Thomas, SAF, Auburn
Daniel Thomas will likely only play special teams for the Jaguars. Thomas is a safety who is alright in coverage and hits hard. The Jaguars needed a free safety which isn’t really what Thomas would be best at. For that reason, Thomas will likely compete for the third-string safety position during camp. On top of all that, I believe the undrafted free agent they signed J.R. Reed is a much better player altogether and is much more likely to take over a starting spot during this upcoming season. That isn’t the only reason this is a bad pick though. The Jaguars had addressed defense so much throughout this draft that they really needed to draft another target for Minshew and instead they reached big-time on a special teamer. Because they valued Thomas over a receiver they missed out on Tyler Johnson, who would have been a perfect wide receiver for this team.
Grade: D-
First play of the game and Auburn safety, Daniel Thomas, is clearly ready to go. Sheeesh 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UZVHG8giJB
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) September 4, 2018
Round 5, Pick 165: Collin Johnson, WR, Texas
I was expecting the Jaguars to take more of a backup slot receiver but I am absolutely not disappointed by this pick. Johnson is the tallest receiver in this class and has an amazing pair of hands that can go up high point the ball at amazing heights. I strongly believe Johnson will see a decent amount of playing time during this upcoming season. Johnson isn’t just a tall guy with good hands, he has great body control and can contort his body in many different ways to catch the ball whether it’s behind him, out of bounds, or he has to get the ball over the cornerback.
Grade: B+
.@Progressive #NFLDraft Prospect Preview: @TexasFootball WR Collin Johnson@NFLDraft | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/49Zq9KqmjN
— Stadium (@Stadium) April 23, 2020
Round 6, Pick 189: Jake Lutton, QB, Oregon State
I can’t believe the Jaguars did this. I know Minshew isn’t the long term answer but taking another sixth-round quarterback when you still have needs is just plain stupid. On top of all that Lutton isn’t very good and the Jaguars traded a fifth-round pick for their current backup, Josh Dobbs. I would be shocked if Lutton is on the active roster and not the practice squad come season time.
Grade: F
Round 6, Pick 206: Tyler Davis, TE, Georgia Tech
At first, I wasn’t sure who this guy was. After looking him up, I can tell he has a heart for this game and is a high character guy who will positively influence the locker room. I believe this pick tells us fans that the Jaguars are confident in Tyler Eifert and Josh Oliver to start this season. However, don’t count out Davis because he’s an unknown prospect. I could easily see Davis taking James O’Shaughnessy’s tight end three spot on the depth chart. It wouldn’t be crazy if we were to see Davis start at some point for the Jaguars as all three of the other tight ends on the roster were on injured reserve last season and have struggled with injuries all throughout their careers. I still don’t understand taking Davis over guys like Thaddeus Moss or Hunter Byrant, but in these late rounds of the draft, it isn’t unusual to see the Jaguars prioritize high character players.
Grade: C
I’m intrigued https://t.co/cKXekHtv4L via @YouTube
— 🚲 (@MXB_) April 25, 2020
Round 7, Pick 223: Chris Claybrooks
If Eno Benjamin hadn’t have gone one pick before the Jaguars this selection would have gotten an F from me, but sadly he did. Chris Claybrooks is a very talented kick returner who was drafted to be the teams starting kick returner. Claybrooks has elite speed and is very elusive. Claybrooks can also play cornerback if the Jaguars get into a pinch but he isn’t super talented in coverage. During his time at Memphis, Claybrooks had a 94-yard touchdown return that showcased his elite breakaway speed and his hip fluidity.
Grade: C+
Throwback to when Chris Claybrooks opened a game with a 94-yard kickoff return.
Jacksonville got a speed demon. #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/g0IscIMJFB
— Jessica Benson (@jessbensontv) April 25, 2020
The Jaguars had somewhat of a disappointing day three draft but they started out extremely successful. They filled all their needs despite ignoring the offense through most of the draft. Overall, this was a very good class that consists of around 6 future starters for the Jaguars.
Overall Grade: B-
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