JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Alan from Jacksonville

If Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State edge Abdul Carter fall to Pick No. 5, which would you take? Or would you select Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham or Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty?

I'll preface this by saying I don't pretend to know for sure if Hunter is better than Carter is better than Jeanty is better than Graham. And so on and so on. I have a general idea that generally speaking many analysts might generally rank the four players you mention in the following order: Hunter, Carter, Jeanty and Graham. If all four were precisely equal, I would lean toward Carter because I value edge defender over the other three positions. If the aforementioned general ranking is generally correct, I would lean toward Hunter because he's the best available player.

Wayne from Jacksonville

Insider baseball question: How many submissions to the O-Zone do you get a day? Do you read every submission? Do you know if the players and coaches (general manager/staff included) regularly read the O-Zone? Thanks O!

The number of O-Zone submissions can vary fairly dramatically depending on day and time of year. I typically get upwards of a couple of hundred(ish) immediately after games and into the following day, with the number usually tapering a bit as the week continues. These numbers also tend to dwindle a bit if the team struggles. Those numbers aren't as high in the offseason, though numbers will increase dramatically around free agency and the draft. I try to read every submission – and usually come very close to doing so; if people care enough to take the time to write this forum, I certainly can take the time to read the submission. As for whether coaches, players and staff read the O-Zone … some do, and I assume most of those "some" come from groups with a lot of spare time. Maybe too much spare time.

Bradley from Sparks, NV

I've accepted it. They will take Jeanty. The potential to have an elite quarterback, running back and wide receiver is just too compelling . A modern-day triplets. Increasing physicality can be achieved in the second and third rounds. Got to trust the pros.

OK.

Tom from Jacksonville Beach

The spin on the Jags is they have some good players but not enough great players. So why would you trade down from the fifth pick to potentially get two good players instead of one great player in Jeanty?

This is a question being asked around the Miller Electric Center these days. Is that question rhetorical? We'll learn that Thursday on Day One of the 2025 NFL Draft, per chance.

James from Socorro, NM

I'm personally looking forward to overreacting to draft grades Friday morning.

Well, at least you won't be disappointed.

Matt from Jacksonville

I'm too lazy to do the research and I suspect that you are, too. That said, how many "perennial All-Pro" players do you suspect are selected each draft, on average?

Four or five-ish. Sometimes less. And this indeed is a big reason it's difficult to pass on greatness.

Luke from Brisbane, Australia

G'day O, I'm coming around to the idea that drafting Ashton Jeanty is the move to make. From my (limited) understanding, Jeanty is elite in all areas, including pass protection – which directly helps quarterback Trevor Lawrence and serves to keep the opposition guessing whether it's a run or pass play. I get the argument that running backs don't put average teams "over the edge," but the Jags are drafting for the next five-plus years, not just next year. A chance to get one of the "few" elite' players at a difference-making position? Sign me up! Cheers.

One fer Jeanty, it appears.

Captain Mike from Jacksonville

There must be sumpin' special in the water supply out there this week. We had Ashton Jeanty equated to former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton and former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders in the same O-Zone. Wow, Jags fans. Just … wow.

I don't know that I've read people "equating" Jeanty to Payton and Sanders in recent O-Zones. I do know have read people trying to discuss conceptually why you would take a running back in the Top 5 of the NFL Draft. If conceptually you believe a player has a chance to be elite, then you conceptually have an argument for selecting the player.

Michael from New York, NY

As my memory fades, I cannot recall the details. But I remember reading a story about a team passing on Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith because they were "set" at the running back position. Who doesn't need an Emmitt Smith?

Fair.

Bryan from Lutz

Apologies if this has been discussed ad nauseum in this forum lately, but my normal reading schedule has been disrupted of late. Last year showed us exactly why you don't take a running back with a premium pick. Saquon Barkley is a transcendent talent. He certainly elevated the Philadelphia Eagles. He did not, however, elevate the New York Giants. Taking a running back – even if he's an elite player – shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the players currently on the Jaguars' roster. This team has a starting center penciled in that was benched at his last stop. Their left guard was traded for a sixth-round pick by a team that struggles on the offensive line. Their right guard was a free agent for a reason. They also have long-term needs at edge, defensive tackle, safety, cornerback and wide receiver. All indications are this running back class goes as many as 14 players deep. One vehemently against Jeanty at No. 5. If we draft him at No. 5, I probably won't stop being a fan, but I'll at least pretend to not be fan for a few weeks. Perhaps I'll boycott the preseason.

These are valid arguments. The argument that you don't pass on greatness for less than great, particularly early in the draft, is just as valid. Such is the plight of an NFL general manager. Not all selections you make will be popular. Some will draw much backlash. Many decisions will be tough. The nice thing about sport is you play games and games determine if your selections overall were correct. Jeanty probably won't be a popular selection among fans at No. 5 overall if that is the selection. If the Jaguars select him, time will tell if it's a good selection. Like pretty much all draft selections.

Larry from Wattsburg(h), PA

Wouldn't Jaguars merch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium be a faux "paw" as Wembley Stadium is the team's home across the pond?

If it moves, sell it.

Jason from Port Orange, FL

Zone, I get that it's draft week and that's all the buzz here on this free website. However, I have a question. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us. Tampa Bay Lightning or Florida Panthers? Or is there another team the KOAF cheers on these days?

I confess I haven't immersed myself in the NHL postseason yet. Some years I do, some years I don't. This thus far hasn't been an immersion year, though I reactivated my Sling subscription Tuesday might. I'll lean Lightning because my son follows the Lightning. That's where I'm at.

Paul from Stay Tuned

I'm going into this draft without any real preference for an individual player or group of individual players I really feel passionate about one way or the other. While I don't guarantee that I will feel similarly dispassionate after the draft, what I really want is just to see my team get better quickly. Also, it would be nice if just once we didn't have to wait until after a commercial break to hear our pick announced …

OK.

Doug from Jax Beach

Thank you for printing questions/statements about Gene. They save me time reading O-Zone as I skip over every one of them. They are no longer funny and certainly not informative.

Thanks for reading. The O-Zone runs 365 days a year and has run every day since 2011. When there are that many questions, not everyone is going to like every question, theme or running joke. The nice thing about a free website is people are free to read questions, skip questions or go to another free website where someone answers questions about their favorite team every day. And not everyone has to like everything. When people stop sending questions about longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon/thought leader Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette, I'll stop answering questions about longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon/thought leader Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette.

Matt from Rock Hill, SC

Why is no one nationally talking Penn State tight end Tyler Warren at No. 5 overall? The best tight end by far at a position of need. If the defensive side is so deep in the draft, why wouldn't we go top tight end or a wide receiver early in the first round?

Perhaps they will.