Jacksonville Jaguars 2013 NFL Draft Review

Luke Joeckel

Luke Joeckel steps in immediately as a starter opposite Eugene Monroe at right tackle. He was a three year starter at left tackle and may return to that position when Monroe’s contract is up. Joeckel is reliable and productive with good height, flexibility, arm length, and foot quickness. He plays with good balance and use of hands. He can snap his hips and dominate the target. Fundamentally and technically sound, he has good physical tools. Jonathan Cyprien impressed the Jacksonville brain trust immediately in rookie mini camp with his physical and aggressive approach to the game. A good leader and face up contact player, he has a nose for the ball. He reacts quickly to run reads and has good range. When in pads he hits with an explosive force and runs through the ball carrier. He has suddenness to drive on the ball. A competitor who is mentally tough, he has the talent to contribute early and provide impact play. He should start out at strong safety. Dwayne Gratz is penciled in as a starter at right corner. A good athlete with loose hips, he has speed, burst, and no wasted motion. Smart and tough, he has long arms and big hands to ward off blocks. He is very willing to force the run and contain. Gratz plays with good instincts and awareness. Disciplined in his play, he is quick to read his keys and react. Ace Sanders is quick and electric from the slot position. Quicker than fast, he has sudden stop and start quickness. For an NFL receiver he is undersized, but in his college career he caught 99 passes. He is a space player who is athletic after catch and possesses good open field instincts. He has good body control along with some shake and bake in the open field. Sanders is a darter with good lateral quickness. Impact athlete Denard Robinson is a developmental talent who has ascending skills and productive qualities. In his Michigan career he accounted for 91 total touchdowns. He needs to learn all of the receiver nuances from route running to blocking. Gus Bradley said that from what he’s seen so far, Robinson could get 10 to 15 touches per game at a variety of positions. He also has taken snaps at quarterback. Josh Evans will compete with Dwight Lowery for the starting free safety position. He is instinctive and plays with good field awareness. He is physical and explosive getting downhill on run support. A wrap tackler, he makes the sure play. He times up blitzes and causes off target throws or hurries. A competitive player, he has a chance to start with some pro skill development, especially on deep coverage. Jeremy Harris (6023, 181) played for new Jags’ secondary coach, Dewayne Walker, at New Mexico State. As a junior, passing teams like Fresno State, Hawaii, and Louisiana Tech went after the junior college transfer. The athletic corner matured and played more consistently his senior year. His pro day numbers were 4.49/40, 36.5/VJ, 10-5/BJ, 4.08/SS. He is a developmental prospect that may get a look on special teams’ coverage. Demetrius McCray has long arms and good height for the corner position. He struggles in his backpedal because he is so leggy and fits best in a cover two scheme. He has fringe speed in the 4.55 area but possesses good hands to pluck the ball. As a developmental corner he needs more thickness and strength to reroute corners and get off blocks. He is a drag down type tackler. GRADE: ABOVE AVERAGE.

This entry was posted in 2013 NFL Draft Team Reviews, Jacksonville Jaguars and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.