Jaguars Were Eyeing This Playmaker In Draft

Every year, the NFL Draft serves its purpose as the most entertaining and unpredictable spectacle on the sports calendar.

For even the most seasoned and experienced of general managers, it is impossible to foresee how each draft will play out, which players will go where, and which targets will actually be attainable.

Such is the case for the Jacksonville Jaguars and new general manager James Gladstone, who just wrapped up his first draft class as leader of the Jaguars' front office.

The Athletic's Mike Silver documented the Jaguars draft live from the team's war room over the course of the weekend, and his description of how things played out made a few things clear.

For one -- the Jaguars badly wanted UCF star running back RJ Harvey.

"In a perfect world, the No. 70 selection would boil down to a choice between two players: Central Florida running back RJ Harvey and Louisville edge rusher Ashton Gillotte," Silver said. "In the real world, things would get far more complicated."

"Soon, the Harvey vs. Gillotte debate was in full force. Gladstone and Boselli seemed to be gravitating toward Gillotte, partly because he was much, much higher on their board than the next-rated player at the position. “We have three first-round defensive linemen,” Coen said, adding, half-jokingly, “how many do we need?”

"Coen was smitten with Harvey’s talents as a runner, which were undeniable," Silver continued. "His pass-blocking prowess? That was a different story. “It’s not his superpower,” Boselli said. “His superpower is making people miss.” Coen and Gladstone also loved another back, Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, but felt they could get him in a later round based on draft projections."

The Jaguars, of course, would end up drafting Tuten at No. 104 after the Denver Broncos nabbed Harvey before the third-round began.

Harvey is a player who long made sense for the Jaguars considering his ability as a downhill runner and the different running schemes he played in at UCF. And if Harvery were there at No. 70 overall, ut sure seems like Jaguars head coach Liam Coen would have landed his next workhorse running back.

But the draft is unpredictable, and each and every year teams are going to have to adjust.