Brent Martineau's Blog

Jags Draft Is Over -- How Did They Do?

2008-04-27T22:25:00Z

Put the 2008 NFL Draft in the books! The Jags made five selections, but this town is still buzzing about Saturday's top pick. Jacksonville traded up 18 spots to get the Florida Gators Derrick Harvey. I think this pick alone makes Jacksonville's draft a huge success. In addition, Jacksonville added more defensive end help in the second round with Quentin Groves.

It's tough to evaluate the Jags day two picks. Jacksonville selected linebacker Thomas Williams and cornerback Trae Williams in the fifth round, then added running back Chauncey Washington out of USC in the seventh round. When you get this late in the draft, who knows if these guys will even be on the team. I think the Jags just took best player available in these spots and according to some scouts the Washington pick in round seven could be a steal... but that's a big could. The Giants used a seventh rounder last year, running back Ahmad Bradshaw, to help win a Super Bowl you know.

If you look at the draft by position I'm surprised a bit that the Jags didn't draft a safety, they are very thin in this position, but obviously didn't feel the value was there at the time.

Overall, this was my first draft in Jacksonville and I can sense the excitement around the weekend and this team for the fall. It's not an exact science, but on paper Jacksonville should feel really good about the present and future coming out of this year's draft.

Harvey and Groves arrived at the stadium today. You can watch there interviews on the web.

Any thoughts football fans??? Agree or disagree with my draft analysis?

Jags 2nd Round Pick And Day One Is Over

2008-04-27T04:16:00Z

Everyone was right!!! The Jaguars really did need help on the defensive line, more specifically the defensive end position. Jacksonville making another move trading their 2nd round pick, a 5th rounder Sunday and next year's 7th round selection for Tampa Bay's 2nd round pick, number 52 overall. It was a six spot jump to get Auburn's Quentin Groves. Groves is considered a situational pass rusher and weak against the run. Miami's Calais Campbell had gone two picks prior so obviously the Jags didn't want to lose out on Groves.

Lots of smiles in Jacksonville today. We were at The Landing earlier and everyone seemed fired up about the Harvey trade and selection. The smiles were even wider at the Jaguar Draft headquarters at the stadium. Ted Monachino said "I almost put my hands through the ceiling" when we traded up to get Harvey. I think everyone is pretty satisfied and why not?? The Jags had a major hole to fill and they did. Its nice to stockpile picks and develop depth, but the Jags have plenty of that already.

Jacksonville can sleep in Sunday morning! They only have two picks all day -- both in the fifth round.

Day One tidbits:

*Clemson DE Phillip Merling slipped to 2nd round (Miami) -- curious where the Jags had him on the board compared to Harvey because they possibly could have got Merling without making any trades.

*7,000 people came to The Landing for the Draft Party -- Jags fever is high (Hooters nearby and the ROAR performing didn't hurt)

*No area Jacksonville prospects were selected -- several have a shot on Day Two

*Thanks to the Jags for dinner, can't wait for training camp (free lunch baby).

*Shout out to Pat Kavanagh -- you Jags fans know Pat as our photographer -- he hustled big time today to get everything on the air and on the web.

What a Move By The Jags -- Trade Up To Get Harvey

2008-04-26T23:41:00Z

Wow -- what an afternoon. Photographer Patrick Kavanagh and I were at the Draft Party at The Jacksonville Landing when word of a trade came down. We were actually interviewing last year's first round pick Reggie Nelson (his reaction "whoah") about a story for our early 6pm show. The 7,000 on hand loved what the Jags did and I did too. This was a bold move by Jacksonville. They knew what they needed and went and got Derrick Harvey. It sounds like the Jags gave up a bunch with their 26th overall pick, two third rounders and a fourth rounder this year, but I think it speaks volumes to how close the Jags feel they are to winning. I'm not sure Harvey makes the difference in being a Super Bowl winner or not, but he certainly helps now and down the road. We were at the Gators pro day last month and you could tell the Jags had a keen interest in Harvey. Obviously, its just down the road in Gainesville, but Shack Harris and defensive line coach Ted Monachino were there to workout Harvey. There was a funny moment during the workout when Harvey ran right over Monachino during a drill (there's video on our website). Another interesting note behind this relationship is that Monachino recruited Harvey out of high school (Monachino was at Arizona St). Of course, Harvey became highly recruited and chose to go to Florida. We talked to Harvey via phone today and he's fired up to be a Jags player like Reggie Nelson a year ago. Just a thought here, no inside information. Miami took defensive end Phillip Merling with the first pick of the 2nd round. What if this opens the door for the Dolphins to keep shopping Jason Taylor -- could the Jags get in on that game too? Stay tuned. Continue to follow our draft coverage on the web and on FOX30 all weekend long. We are at Jaguars headquarters right now awaiting Jacksonville's 2nd round selection -- 58th overall.

Trade For Taylor or Trade Down!

2008-04-26T14:37:00Z

First, a warm welcome to my blog. I'm the "new sports guy" in town. That's my unofficial title, officially they call me the Assistant Sports Director. I've been in town for two months now and so far so good --- like the area, like the sports town. You can find more info on me by reading my bio on the web -- here's the link http://www.fox30online.com/content/bios/story.aspx?content_id=75c03a44-8c4b-4f51-b94e-e0294b012c71

Alright now for the draft talk. We've heard a lot about this Jason Taylor trade talk -- pull the trigger baby. I'm a big fan of this trade, if for nothing else there's a good Dancing With The Stars story in training camp. Yeah, Taylor only has a couple of years left, but the Jags are built to win right now. I wouldn't want to give up a first round pick, but I don't understand why folks cry foul when the idea comes up. The 26th pick in the first round is almost a 2nd round pick right? If the value is not there at defensive end or defensive tackle, then who cares if you trade it away to get a guy you know will produce in Taylor. I don't think trading a 26th pick is mortgaging your future -- its filling a void and as the Giants proved last year, pass rushers are a must have in this league.

Who knows if the Taylor thing works, but once again if the value is not there in the 26th pick I would trade and stockpile. The crazy thing about the NFL Draft is there are almost just as many jewels in the 2nd through 4th rounds than there are in the first round (especially after the top ten picks). Let's try this analogy -- two or three years ago people were paying anything for houses because there wasn't much to pick from in neighborhoods. Now look at all the foreclosures. The Jags shouldn't use the 26th pick just because its a first rounder -- if the value isn't there, sell for more smaller investments. Hey, I'm not re-inventing the wheel here, just throwing in my two cents.

I'll be blogging all weekend and hopefully all the time, so let me know your thoughts - I'd love to read them.