JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it … Rob from Brunswick, GA:
John, which Jaguars player is your favorite of all-time – regardless of playing ability or time with the team? Strictly who you liked the most? Personally, I have to say Natrone Means "Business" with Aaron Beeeeeasleeeey a close second.
John: I liked both of those guys, too, though this is a tough question. When covering a team, you get close to players on one level – but there's a limit. Because of their ongoing relationship with the team, I have gotten to know players such as Mark Brunell, Fred Taylor, Jeff Lageman – and yes, even Tony Boselli – on a different level since their playing days. Whereas I have come to like three of those guys more than when I covered them, getting to know Boselli better has caused me to distrust and marginalize him more than I did before. I also missed 10 years of Jaguars history while in Indianapolis, so I didn't know a lot of players of that era. During the time that I have covered the team, I have enjoyed covering a great many players including but not limited to Cecil Shorts III, Paul Posluszny, Reggie Barlow, Marcedes Lewis, Josh Scobee, Renaldo Wynn, Seth Payne, Fernando Bryant, Tyson Alualu, Sen'Derrick Marks, Roy Miller, Jimmy Smith, Keenan McCardell, Leon Searcy, Ben Coleman, Kevin Hardy and Brant Boyer. I guess I'd say Taylor's my favorite, but I must say Lageman was a joy to cover and taught me much about the NFL during the first few years of the Jaguars. As far as Boselli … yeah.
Mike from Jacksonville:
What if pick two is not a quarterback?
John: Then the Eagles gave up way, way too much.
T.J. from Loretto, KY:
John, if the Jags' doctors gave Jack's knee the all-clear, I hope we get him. I can't help but think a certain amount of the criticism on some level is a smokescreen to get arguably the best athlete in the draft to fall on draft boards.
John: Maybe, but no one's really criticizing Jack. There has been concern expressed over the long-term viability of his knee, and there have been some doctors commenting that it's an issue. That doesn't mean those people are correct, but it's a legitimate concern.
Aaron from Chantilly:
Just for fun it would be neat to compare Mel Kiper's picks for the Jaguars' selections against David Caldwell's selection for the first two rounds for the last four years and see how they match up.
John: Would it?
Adam from Jacksonville:
John, who will be our No. 3 wide receiver going into training camp, Marqise Lee or Rashad Greene?
John: It depends on what you mean by "No. 3 receiver." If by No. 3 you mean "slot receiver," then it's likely to be Greene. The Jaguars love him in that role, and I expect he will fill it a lot in packages that include he, Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson. If by No. 3 you mean the No. 3 receiver on the outside-receiver depth chart, then I expect that to be Lee. And I do expect the Jaguars to use packages with Robinson and Lee on the outside and Hurns moving inside.
Rob from Orange Park, FL:
What is the streak up to now? How many consecutive days have you posted an O-Zone without missing one?
John: 1,727. Or so.
Kevin from Jacksonville:
Let's not forget that if you reveal your draft board you're showing everyone what you thought of certain players. When they become free agents four-to-five years down the road, it tells everyone else who's interested. It also opens you up to the "you-liked-Richard-Sherman-and-drafted-Bryan-Anger" conversation.
John: Yes, for all of those reasons and many more I can't imagine a time when teams ever reveal their draft board before, during or after the draft.
Austin from Jacksonville:
John, do you think we will still take Myles Jack with his knee problems? Telvin Smith and Myles Jack … that's a nightmare for other teams. Your opinion?
John: I'm projecting Myles Jack as the Jaguars' selection at No. 5 in the latest and final jaguars.com 2016 mock draft, so I've got to say my answer is, "Yes, the Jaguars will take Jack despite the knee issue." What I don't know – and what Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell certainly won't reveal – is how he and team doctors feel about the knee. I'd guess it all depends on that.
Cliff from Orange Park, FL:
You are showing your youth, John. How could you leave Deacon Jones, the inventor of the head slap, off your list of scariest defensive players?
John: You're referring to my answer Tuesday when asked about the NFL's five scariest defensive players ever. I don't know, Cliff … I turn 50 in July (hint, hint). If I can do something to show my youth then I can't really see much wrong with that.
Scott from Jacksonville:
I might have to have Deacon Jones and Big Daddy Lipscomb in a Top 5 list of intimidating NFL players of all time.
John: OK.
Mike from Section 238:
Wow - no Deacon Jones or Reggie White in your "most intimidating" list?
John: I listed five. If I had listed more, there would have been more on the list.
Al from Orange Park, FL:
I wouldn't argue with the five defensive players you chose for Trae. But I knew Ray Nitschke when I was a child. He was pretty terrifying on the football field, especially when he took out his teeth. Would you rank him anywhere near your Top 5?
John: Yes.
Ed from Ponte Vedra, FL:
I'm old enough to remember all the names you mentioned as scariest defensive player. Do you think that since the rules have changed a Dick Butkus or a Mean Joe Greene would be as good as a J.J. Watt is today?
John: Yes, particularly Greene.
Gary from Atlanta, GA:
Who has the final say in drafting a player? One person or majority vote?
John: Caldwell has the final say. He gets input from scouts, and from coaches. He talks about it with those people, with Head Coach Gus Bradley and with Owner Shad Khan. But in the end … it's his call.
Levi from Bloomington, IN:
Hey Zone, what's your gut feeling on where in the draft Noah Spence will get drafted? My dream scenario is picking Jack at No. 5, then trading back up to grab Spence in the early-to mid-twenties. What do you think the likelihood is of something like that happening? Also, any idea how close Dante is to being 100 percent? Thanks!!
John: I think Noah Spence will be selected somewhere around the end of the first round and early part of the second, and I don't know that the Jaguars would trade up very far to get him. Dante Fowler Jr. is cleared to participate fully in offseason workouts, but the Jaguars will be cautious with his return.
Preston from Connecticut:
O-Man, every year we hear about the possibly of trading down. Most fans like the idea of acquiring picks, but it never happens. In fact, we have traded up in the past. But this year I see it as being more possible than in the past. If we were to move back, this would likely be a trade made after the first four picks, correct?
John: Yes.
Steve from Jacksonville:
If Ronnie Lott, Deion Sanders, Lawrence Taylor and Ray Lewis are on the board (in their primes) when the Jags pick, who would be the most helpful with this current roster?
John: Taylor because pass rush.
MrPadre from Kingsland, GA:
The Jags "will" trade up in the second round or even into the bottom of the first to get a second top prospect. If they draft Joey Bosa or DeForest Buckner at No. 5, they will move up for a defensive back such as Eli Apple. Or, more likely, if they draft Jalen Ramsey or Myles Jack at No. 5 they will move up for Noah Spence, Shaq Lawson, or Kevin Dodd. Two "great" players are better than four "good" ones now that we have good depth. Book it! #DTWD
John: Perhaps you're right, but you trade up for players because you like them and because you think they're worth it. That's more important in the equation than your depth. But it's not as if Caldwell has been averse to this in the past. The Jaguars, remember, didn't have very good depth when he traded up for Brandon Linder and Allen Robinson in 2014. Caldwell thought those players were worth it. He was correct, by the way.
Rob from Brunswick, GA:
As the senior writer for the team's website you surely must have quite a bit of access to Jaguars players, coaches and suits. How jealous should we be? Do you get to chat with Dave and Gus and Blake, etc., on a daily basis?
John: I talk to Caldwell, Bradley and Bortles quite a bit; this is something they rarely discuss publicly but I've been told all three consider it "quite a thrill." But remember, I "get" to chat with Boselli a lot, too. So, you know … pros and cons. And stop calling me Shirley.