Jags drafting for the future, not this fall

JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Jaguars used the NFL draft to build for the future, not necessarily this fall. They used every pick on downthe-road starters instead of filling pressing needs.

It’s a luxury rarely seen in Jacksonville, which made the AFC championship game in January after a decade of failure and futility. The Jags return 18 of 22 starters from a team that led the NFL in rushing and ranked second in total defense.

Top executive Tom Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell liked the team’s makeup enough that they actually made a best-player-available pick in the first round when they added Florida’s Taven Bryan to a defensive line that includes Pro Bowlers Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson and Yannick Ngakoue.

“We want the competition. We want it as much as we can get it,” Coughlin said following the three-day draft Saturday. “That’s the one thing in our game that makes everybody better. These people were drafted to be football players, whether it’s a starter or whatever.”

Bryan was the first of several Jacksonville draft picks expected to be backups as rookies. The Jaguars envision LSU receiver D J Chark (second round), Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison (third) and North Carolina State right tackle Will Richardson (fourth) as eventual starters, but neither of them is considered a plugand-play guy.

“If they come in and play that is a bonus, too,” Caldwell said. “We are not just going to say, ‘Hey, take it easy for the next two years.’ Those guys have to come in and compete.”

Here are some other things to know about Jacksonville’s draft, which included Nebraska quarterback Tanner Lee (sixth round), Wisconsin linebacker Leon Jacobs (seventh) and Mississippi State punter Logan Cooke (seventh):

Taking a chance: The Jaguars did that with the 129th pick on Richardson, who was suspended twice in three years at North Carolina State. The 6-foot-6, 306pound Richardson started 30 games at right tackle for the Wolfpack. He was suspended for the first two games last season for what he said was a marijuana-related violation. As a redshirt freshman in November 2015, he was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated. He was suspended one game for that and served a university-imposed suspension for the 2016 spring semester.

“Ideally, we don’t like any baggage,” Caldwell said. “We don’t like to have to answer these questions on a day like today, but we also understand some of these players have a past and hopefully they grow from their past and become fine, upstanding citizens.”

Richardson will compete at right tackle with 31-yearold Jermey Parnell, and if he doesn’t win the job, would be the swing tackle in 2018.

Developmental QB: Jacksonville added a third quarterback when it drafted Lee in the sixth round. Lee will compete with Cody Kessler for the backup spot behind Blake Bortles.

Coach Doug Marrone said the team would be open to keeping three QBs on the roster.