JAGUARS PULL OFF TRADE IN FIRST ROUND FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR
The Jaguars traded their first-round pick (7th overall) and fourth-round selection (101st overall) to Tampa Bay to select wide receiver Justin Blackmon with the fifth overall pick. The Jaguars selected quarterback Blaine Gabbert with the 10th overall pick in 2011, a pick obtained from Washington in exchange for first- (16th) and second (49th)-round selections.
There were 19 trades involving first-round selections on Thursday, the most since at least 1970. The previous high during that span was 15 first-round trades in 1995.
BLAINE GABBERT AND LAURENT ROBINSON LED HOST OF PLAYERS AT DRAFT PARTY
More than 4,000 fans turned out for the Jaguars' 18th Annual Bud Light Draft Party on Thursday at The Markets at Town Center. Fans were able to watch the NFL Draft live on a large LED screen. Jaguars players Blaine Gabbert, Laurent Robinson, Jeremy Mincey, D'Anthony Smith, Tyson Alualu, Cecil Shorts, Rashad Jennings, Derek Cox, Austen Lane and Will Rackley were on hand to greet fans and sign autographs. The 2012 ROAR of the Jaguars Cheerleaders were introduced and performed, as well as the D-Line.
A RESUME OF SUCCESS
Justin Blackmon played only three seasons at Oklahoma State but it's fair to say he left his mark. Blackmon finished his career with 253 receptions for 3,564 yards and 40 touchdowns. He was a two-time Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver, becoming only the second player to win the trophy twice.
Here are additional accolades for Blackmon:
- Two-time All-America selection, the seventh player in school history to accomplish the feat.
- Holds the NCAA record with 14 straight games with 100-plus receiving yards and 14 straight games with 100-plus receiving yards and a touchdown.
- Two-time unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection.
- Ranks second in Oklahoma State history for receptions (253), touchdown receptions (40) and receiving yards (3,564).
- Finished his junior season with 122 receptions for 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns. Had seven 100-yard receiving games and reached 95 yards in two other games.
- Was offensive MVP of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in 2011, finishing with nine receptions for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
- Totaled a school-record 1,782 receiving yards as a sophomore, the sixth-most receiving yards in NCAA history. Also set school records for touchdown receptions (20) and receptions (111). Had 100-plus receiving yards and at least one receiving touchdown in every game.
- Named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.
- Had at least a 29-yard reception in every game as a sophomore and at least 105 receiving yards in every game. Averaged 32.1 yards on his 20 touchdown catches.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Justin Blackmon is the first player from Oklahoma State drafted in Jaguars history. Blackmon is only the school's seventh two-time All-America selection and ranks second in school history with 253 career receptions for 3,564 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Blackmon is the fifth Oklahoma State player to be drafted in the first round in the last four years and the highest drafted player in school history since Barry Sanders was the third overall pick of the 1989 draft.
OKLAHOMA STATE HEAD COACH MIKE GUNDY
"We're very proud of Justin as he takes the next step in his career. He brought so much to our program but one thing that I'll remember about him is how hard he worked when it wasn't game day. Justin was our best practice player and set the tone for our team by his work ethic and buying in to what we were trying to accomplish as a program. He will have a lasting impact at Oklahoma State."
TEAMMATE JOINS BLACKMON IN FIRST ROUND
The duo of quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon led Oklahoma State to a 23-3 record during their time at the school and both were rewarded for their play on Thursday evening. Blackmon was drafted by the Jaguars with the fifth overall pick and Weeden was selected by Cleveland with the 22nd pick, joining Baylor's Robert Griffin III (2nd, Washington) and Kendall Wright (20th, Tennessee) as the fourth and fifth quarterback-wide receiver duos to be selected in the first round in NFL history.
Blackmon and Weeden are the second duo in the last three years at Oklahoma State to be drafted in the first round in the same year. Russell Okung and Dez Bryant were both first-round picks in 2010.
JAGUARS SELECT WIDE RECEIVER IN FIRST ROUND FOR FOURTH TIME IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
The selection of Justin Blackmon with the fifth overall pick marked only the fourth wide receiver taken in the first round in franchise history and 21st overall. R. Jay Soward (2000), Reggie Williams (2004) and Matt Jones (2005) were the receivers previously taken in the first round.
Since Jacksonville entered the NFL in 1995, the Jaguars have had 20 first-round selections and have drafted in the following manner:
DEFENSE (9)
* *
OFFENSE (11)
* *
Defensive tackles
4
Wide receivers
4
Safeties
2
Running backs
2
Linebacker
1
Offensive linemen
2
Cornerback
1
Quarterbacks
2
Defensive end
1
Tight end
1
BLACKMON ON HIS SKILLS
"I'm competitive, someone that likes to compete, go up and get the ball, not afraid to run across the middle. Someone that's going to give it all you've got every time you step inside the white line."
HIGHEST DRAFT PICK SINCE 1996 AND THIRD-HIGHEST OVERALL
The Jaguars' selection of Justin Blackmon with the fifth overall pick was third-highest selection in franchise history. Offensive tackle Tony Boselli was the second overall pick in 1995 and linebacker Kevin Hardy was selected second overall the following year in 1996.
DID YOU KNOW?
Justin Blackmon served as class president as a senior at Plainview High School.
FIRST ROUND BREAKDOWN
The Jaguars' fifth pick in the first round of the 2011 draft was the team's 20th overall first round selection. Here is a breakdown of the first round picks:
YEAR
NO
PLAYER
COLLEGE
1995
2
OT Tony Boselli
Southern California
19
RB James Stewart
Tennessee
1996
2
LB Kevin Hardy
Illinois
1997
21
DT Renaldo Wynn
Notre Dame
1998
9
RB Fred Taylor
Florida
25
SS Donovin Darius
Syracuse
1999
26
CB Fernando Bryant
Alabama
2000
29
WR R. Jay Soward
Southern California
2001
13
DT Marcus Stroud
Georgia
2002
9
DT John Henderson
Tennessee
2003
7
QB Byron Leftwich
Marshall
2004
9
WR Reggie Williams
Washington
2005
21
WR Matt Jones
Arkansas
2006
28
TE Marcedes Lewis
UCLA
2007
21
S Reggie Nelson
Florida
2008
8
DE Derrick Harvey
Florida
2009
8
OT Eugene Monroe
Virginia
2010
10
DT Tyson Alualu
California
2011
10
QB Blaine Gabbert
Missouri
2012
5
WR Justin Blackmon
Oklahoma State
ANOTHER TOP 10 PICK FOR JAGUARS
The Jaguars have selected in the top 10 for five straight seasons, the longest streak in the NFL. The Jaguars traded into the top 10 in two of those seasons. The club had the 26th overall pick in 2008 and traded up to select defensive end Derrick Harvey at number 8. The Jaguars entered the 2011 draft with the 16th overall pick and traded with Washington to select quarterback Blaine Gabbert with the 10th overall pick.
The first round picks the last five drafts include Harvey (2008, 8th overall), OT Eugene Monroe (2009, 8th), DT Tyson Alualu (2010, 10th), Gabbert (2011, 10th) and WR Justin Blackmon (2012, 5th).
FIFTH WIDE RECEIVER TAKEN BY GENE SMITH
Gene Smith is in his fourth season (2009-12) as the Jaguars general manager. Of the 21 players selected, 12 were on the offensive side of the ball, eight on defense and one return specialist. The selection of Justin Blackmon is the highest wide receiver selected since 2009 and fifth overall (Mike Thomas, 2009; Jarett Dillard, 2009; Tiquan Underwood, 2009; Cecil Shorts, 2011).
OFFENSIVE PLAYER IN THE SECOND ROUND?
If history is any indication the Jaguars will select an offensive player in the second round. The Jaguars have drafted either two offensive players or two defensive players with their first two picks in each of the last seven years. The Jaguars used the first three picks in 2011 to draft offensive players in QB Blaine Gabbert (1st round), G/C Will Rackley (3rd round) and WR Cecil Shorts (4th round).
JAGUARS SELECT JUNIOR FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
Since juniors were formally allowed to enter the draft in 1990, the Jaguars have taken 13 underclassmen. The Jaguars have drafted an underclassman in back-to-back drafts and seven times in the last nine years.
YEAR
RD
PLAYER
COLLEGE
1996
2nd
DE Tony Brackens
Texas
1999
2nd
DT Larry Smith
Florida State
2002
2nd
OT Mike Pearson
Florida
2003
4th
RB LaBrandon Toefield
Louisiana State
2003
4th
TE George Wrighster
Oregon
2004
1st
WR Reggie Williams
Washington
2006
2nd
RB Maurice Jones-Drew
UCLA
2006
7th
CB Dee Webb
Florida
2007
1st
S Reggie Nelson
Florida
2008
1st
DE Derrick Harvey
Florida
2009
2nd
OT Eben Britton
Arizona
2011
1st
QB Blaine Gabbert
Missouri
2012
1st
WR Justin Blackmon
Oklahoma State
JAGUARS ALL-TIME DRAFT BY POSITION
Justin Blackmon became the 21st wide receiver taken by the Jaguars in franchise history. Here's a look at the Jaguars all-time draft picks by position:
Defensive linemen
27
Offensive linemen
22
Wide receivers
21
Linebackers
18
Running backs
15
Safeties
14
Cornerbacks
13
Tight ends
5
Quarterbacks
5
Placekickers
2
Punters
2
Long snapper
1
Return specialist
1
Total
146
FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE
The second round of the NFL Draft gets underway at 6 p.m. on Friday and will continue through round three. Each team has seven minutes to make a selection in round two and five minutes for each of the remaining four rounds. The Jaguars own the sixth pick in the second round, the 38th overall, and the seventh pick in the third round, the 70th overall. 2012 first-round pick Justin Blackmon will be available to the media at EverBank Field at 12:30 p.m.
