Jaguars Draft Analysis: Rounds 3 and 4

After making what appeared to be good, solid, safe picks in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft on Saturday, the Jacksonville Jaguars got off to what seems to many fans a riskier start on Sunday. With the selections of Temple defensive tackle Terrance Knighton (6'3", 317 lbs.) and William and Mary cornerback Derek Cox (6'1", 188 lbs.), the third round of the Jaguars draft has become the most questioned and second-guessed with fans on sports talk radio and message boards around the city. In making Knighton the team's highest-drafted defensive tackle since selecting John Henderson in the first round of the 2002 draft, the Jaguars are hoping to have finally filled the void left on the defensive line by the departure of Marcus Stroud after the 2007 season. After passing on opportunities to draft bigger names such as Boston College's BJ Raji and Ron Brace in the first two rounds, the Jaguars are counting on Knighton to slide in next to John Henderson and fortify a run defense that had become a shadow of its former self during the 2008 season. While it remains to be seen if Knighton will ever play up the level of Marcus Stroud's prime years, the Jaguars seem really happy to have had the former Temple defensive MVP be available when it came time for them to make their third round selection. Speaking of third round selections, the Jaguars surprised many when they immediately traded back into the third round; giving a 2009 seventh round pick and the team's 2010 second round pick to grab Derek Cox. The selection of Cox has been far and away the most talked about and debated pick of the Jaguars 2009 draft. The major reason that fans and so-called "experts" like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay hammered the pick is that Cox played his college football at William and Mary, so outside of NFL scouts, very few people know much about him. It is not like William and Mary is a football powerhouse from a major conference that plays on national television every week. In fact, Cox will be just the third player from William and Mary on a current NFL roster, joining New Orleans' Darren Sharper and Arizona's Mike Leach. Jaguars' general manager Gene Smith absolutely loves Cox, and expectations are that he will compete to become the starter at cornerback opposite Rashean Mathis, effectively killing two birds with one stone by allowing Brian Williams to move to safety, a position for which he is better suited. If Cox becomes a solid, dependable cornerback for the Jaguars, give Gene Smith and his scouting department major kudos for getting off the beaten path and finding a player that many overlooked. With the selection of Arizona wide receiver Mike Thomas (5'8", 193 lbs.) in the fourth round, the Jaguars begin a shift away from the bigger, and by default, slower, wide receivers corps that the fans have grown to loathe over the past several years. Thomas, who finished his collegiate career as the Pac-10's all-time leader in receptions, has legitimate 4.3 speed and appears to be perfectly suited to become the slot receiver this team has been missing. While short in stature, Thomas appears to be very well put together, and has drawn comparisons to New England's Wes Welker. While Jaguar fans would be more than satisfied to get Welker-like production out of him, Thomas actually compared himself to Carolina's Steve Smith. If Thomas can become even 80 percent the receiver that Steve Smith has been for the Panthers, he would have to be considered the gem of the Jaguars 2009 draft class. After absolutely loving what the Jaguars did in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, I will admit that I am a little skeptical of the third round selections. But Gene Smith has given me every reason to trust his judgment, so my skepticism is coupled with a healthy dose of optimism. And while I am taking a wait-and-see approach with Knighton and Cox, I am very excited by the Mike Thomas pick in the fourth round. All in all, I believe the Jaguars had a very promising first four rounds of the draft.