JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The wait is over and football season has arrived. The Jaguars rookies reported for training camp on Wednesday. Included in that group will be 2018 first round pick Taven Bryan, who agreed to terms on his rookie deal Tuesday.
1st Down: Prior to the 2018 NFL Draft the Jaguars front office told local media that their plan was to draft the best player available. They stuck to their guns by selecting Bryan with the 29th overall pick. This was a luxury selection because defensive line wasn't a “need.”
Bryan played defensive tackle for the Florida Gators but will also play some defensive end in Jacksonville. There’s no pressure on him to come along quickly because the Jaguars have so much depth along their defensive line.
2nd Down: The good teams in the NFL don’t necessarily need their rookies to step in and be starters in Week 1. That’s the position the Jaguars find themselves in.
Barring injuries it would be a surprise for any of Jacksonville's seven picks from the 2018 NFL Draft to become starters this season.
3rd Down: During the off-season program it’s hard to get an accurate reading of how far along each rookie is. That changes once players put on shoulder pads for the first time on July 28.
-Bryan looked explosive this summer but we’ll find out very quickly how good he is once we see his one-on-one battles with Andrew Norwell.
-The speed of wide receiver D.J. Chark was as advertised but can he get off of press coverage? If the LSU product can hold his own against Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye the Jaguars got a steal in the second round.
-Ronnie Harrison left Alabama with a reputation of being a bit hitting safety. One thing that surprised defensive coordinator Todd Wash this off-season was how far along Harrison is in pass coverage.
-Offensive lineman Will Richardson is probably the Jaguars right tackle of the future. In the meantime there’s also a chance that he could get a look at right guard.
-Recently the Jaguars have only carried two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Tanner Lee won’t get a ton of repetitions. Even if he doesn’t make the week 1 roster, Lee could be a candidate for the practice squad.
-Linebacker is probably the one position on defense where a late-round draft pick like Leon Jacobs has a chance to make a name for themselves. He’ll compete for playing-time at strong side linebacker and on special teams.
-Logan Cooke is the only punter currently on the roster. The Jaguars could decide to bring in some competition later in camp.
4th Down: If you’re headed out to Training Camp here are the numbers that each rookie will be wearing:
90 - DL Taven Bryan
17 - WR DJ Chark
36 - S Ronnie Harrison
76 - OL Will Richardson
3 - QB Tanner Lee
48 - LB Leon Jacobs
9 - P Logan Cooke