The Jaguars won the 2016 NFL Draft, but the team doesn't want to depend on its incoming draft class to win games this fall. As Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell put it, the team will be "in trouble" if it's relying on rookies.
"When you have to count on rookies to come in to make a difference, you're in trouble," Caldwell told NFL Network on Tuesday. "I think the body of work we did this offseason, some of the veterans we brought in. These rookies always make their biggest jump from year one to year two, so we're going to bring them along slowly and hope for the best, but I think we have good veteran leadership right now where we should be able to compete in the AFC South."
Despite that message of caution, the Jaguars will be forced to rely on rookie talent if they want to compete in the division. That's not necessarily a bad thing either. It just means the Jaguars drafted at least two players who fit in as immediate upgrades.
Due to the Chargers' secret interest in Joey Bosa and some illogical reasoning used by the Cowboys, the Jaguars were able to land Jalen Ramsey with the fifth pick in the draft. Then, in the second round, the team picked up perhaps the steal of the draft in Myles Jack, who's dealing with an injured knee that could jeopardize the length of his career.
Ramsey and Jack are both top-five talents. And the Jaguars got both. Keep in mind, the Jaguars will also be relying on Dante Fowler, who didn't play a single snap in his rookie season. So, in a way, the Jaguars defense might be depending on three rookies next season.
Jaguars have added 2 defensive rookie starters in Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack. Here's their graded depth chart: pic.twitter.com/cTtPydicgV
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 3, 2016
With all that being said, the Jaguars won't be leaning entirely on players who have never played a down in the NFL. They also brought in quite the free agent haul, including Malik Jackson, Prince Amukamara, and Tashaun Gipson.
That's probably why Caldwell feels like, for the first time ever, his team can actually compete in the AFC South.
Caldwell on Sirius: "This is the first off-season where we feel, 'Hey, we've got a shot.' Now we'll see what happens." #Jaguars
— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) May 3, 2016
But, as Caldwell noted, relying on rookies can be a dangerous game. His comments serve as reminder that, while the Jaguars emerged with the offseason champs trophy, they're still a team that won just five games a season ago. One good draft class can certainly change a team's direction, but it might take more than one offseason to feel all of the positive effects of that draft.
