JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX sports staff hands out grades for the second night of the NFL draft and how the Jaguars did. Looking for our grades from Jacksonville’s first-round pick? You can find that here.
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Jamal St. Cyr
Second round, Maason Smith: B
This is a home run swing. If it hits, Smith will be a monster. He showed flashes at LSU but injuries slowed him down. The boost on this pick for me is that the Jags had insider knowledge on this pick. Matt House was the LSU DC and coached Smith. If anyone knows about the injuries and the talent of Smith, it is House. I’ll be on the upside of this pick with that in mind. Remember those games where the Jags defensive line had no interior push? Those should be a thing of the past with Arik Armsted and Smith in the middle.
Third round, Jarrian Jones: A
The Jaguars needed cornerback help and they got a good one. Jones balled out in Tallahassee last year. I love this pick and I will be honest, the grade got boosted just a little bit because he said he grew up a Jags fan. Jones said he was a MJD superfan growing up. Does that matter? Yes, it means he has good judgement. Back to football — Jones excelled in the slot and has a good athletic profile. He could earn a role quickly in the Jags secondary. in the words of Trent Baalke, it was good value.
Justin Barney
Second round, Maason Smith: C
I wasn’t impressed with Jacksonville’s second-round pick, Smith. Much like the selection last year of Penn State tight end Brenton Strange in Round 2, I think Smith was overdrafted by 20 to 30 spots. Jacksonville reached for Strange last year and it reached for Smith on Friday night. I would have liked a trade up to nab a Jer’Zhan Newton or T’Vondre Sweat or Braden Fiske. Or even stayed put and grabbed Michigan defensive tackle Kris Jenkins. Smith missed a year in college with a knee injury and had trouble staying on the field. That’s worrisome to me. Trent Baalke has an affinity for certain types of players and Smith falls into that mold. Reminds me of the Walker Little pick a few years ago.
Third round, Jarrian Jones: A
Like I mentioned above, there are players who were available in the second round who I would have moved up to get at corner. But Jones in Round 3 was a good one. In our News4JAX seven-round mock, I selected Jones in the fourth round. He’s not Day 1 starter ready right now, but I think Jones could be starting on the outside by midseason. He could start in the slot as a rookie though. And Jacksonville, to me, needed to leave the first two rounds with a potential starter at corner. They found that in Jones.
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