Jaguars trade up to draft Florida OT Taylor
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. >> The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to get some much-needed help for new quarterback Nick Foles.
Jacksonville moved up three spots and chose Florida right tackle Jawaan Taylor with the third pick in the second round Friday night, adding a step-in starter to replace veteran Jermey Parnell and protect Foles.
The Jaguars sent picks 38 and 109 (fourth round) to Oakland in exchange for Nos. 35, 140 (fifth) and 235 (seventh). Jacksonville general manager Dave Caldwell said he failed to trade into the bottom of the first round Thursday night to grab Taylor, who grew up about two hours down the road in Cocoa and lost 80 pounds to land a scholarship with the Gators.
Taylor plays the drums at church every Sunday and spends much of his free time fishing. Staying in the Sunshine State was an ideal landing spot for the 6-foot-5, 312-pound Taylor. How it happened left him perplexed and perturbed.
There were reports that a torn meniscus in 2017 caused teams some concern, but Caldwell said Jacksonville’s doctors had no worries about Taylor’s health. Taylor skipped the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and his on-campus pro day because of a strained hamstring.
“The medical reports are definitely false. I’m 100 percent healthy and ready to go,” Taylor said. “It hurt a little bit last night that you couldn’t see the reason was why I didn’t get picked . ... I’m a little upset, but everything happens for a reason.”
The Jags could have gone in several directions with No. 35. After landing Kentucky defensive end Josh Allen with the seventh overall pick in the opening round, they still needed an offensive tackle, a tight end and a safety. But their most gaping hole was at right tackle, where Jacksonville let Parnell walk before free agency and have little depth at the position.
They signed former Cincinnati right tackle Cedric Ogbuehi to a one-year deal in free agency and re-signed oft-injured Josh Wells. They also drafted Will Richardson in the fourth round in 2018. But none of them was considered a long-term answer at the position.
Taylor is. He was a three-year starter at Florida and part of an offensive line that allowed just 18 sacks in 2018. He spent the last few months honing his technique with veteran NFL offensive line coach Bob Palcic in Pensacola. He also had private workout with Jacksonville, doing enough to land on the team’s radar — and prompt Caldwell and personnel chief Tom Coughlin to scramble to get him in the second round.
“We thought that he would be long gone by then,” Caldwell said. “He’s big, strong and powerful.”
Taylor was in Nashville, Tennessee, for the draft. He was one of five players who remained in the green room after the completion of the first round and came back to get his moment on the stage.
“All of a sudden you just watch the draft, and as it goes and gets close, you’re like, ‘Hey, we got an opportunity to go get him,”’ coach Doug Marrone said. “We knew it would be close.”