The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the most quarterback needy teams in the NFL, and it seems very likely they’ll be entering the 2014 draft with the top selection, meaning any quarterback heading into the NFL will be available. Many, myself included, assume the Jaguars would use a top pick on that position, but there’s no guarantee in the NFL, and the Jaguars may actually have some options.
The St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings will both be entering the offseason near the top of the draft order, and it’s likely both teams will have their eyes open for a young quarterback. Meanwhile, Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looks to be the most coveted quarterback prospect coming out of college.
With two other teams desperate for a starting quarterback, the Jaguars could take the road less traveled, pass on Bridgewater and pit the Vikings and Rams against each other in a bidding war, hoping to acquire many more picks to draft core players.
The strategy actually sounds far sketchier than it may be. There will are other quarterback prospects that may turn into great NFL quarterbacks. The strategy here would essentially be to take one big egg, split it into many smaller eggs and put them in different baskets.
So far, first-year general manager David Caldwell has shown his willingness to trade players for picks. After it became apparent the Jaguars wouldn’t be anywhere close to competing for a playoff spot, Caldwell moved left tackle Eugene Monroe to the Ravens for very modest compensation.
The Jaguars are a team in full-blown rebuild mode. They have more holes than Swiss cheese in their rosters, and Jacksonville will look to fill in as many of those holes as possible through the draft. If they can move the top pick in the draft for good compensation, it’s not out of the question to expect the Jaguars to pull the trigger. They’ll need a partner to make it work, and right now, there may be more than one option available to them.
