The best of three possibilities

Apr 22, 2001 at 08:00 PM

Join Jaguars Inside Report Senior Editor Vic Ketchman as he tackles the fans' tough questions.

Nate Weir from Kaysville, UT:
The Jaguars passed up the second-best offensive tackle in the draft that most of the mock drafts that I looked at had going in the top five or six picks. What were the motives behind that and what do you think the tackle from Michigan will be able to do this coming year for the Jaguars?

Vic:
Tom Coughlin was bound and determined to upgrade his defense overall and pick a player who would give his defense the ability to match up physically with teams such as Tennessee, Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Maurice Williams' availability in the second round is something they didn't expect. That he was available seems to have made their draft successful. The expectations for him this season are for him to become their starting right tackle.

Robert Ripley from Daytona Beach, FL:
What is the reasoning behind taking an under-achiever. Mr. Stroud was an average SEC defensive lineman. He did nothing during the regular season to impact the big games, such as Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, LSU; nothing. He is huge and if coach Coughlin believes he is the answer to stopping the run, we will have to see, but how can you pass on the big Gator? Kenyatta Walker is Leon Searcy with youth in his corner. What is your take on the draft and why did Stroud seem like the biggest disappointment of the first day.

Vic: You can't draft everybody. You can only take one player per pick and Tom Coughlin had decided the Jaguars needed Stroud more than they needed Walker. I've considered all of the possibilities, and this is what I've come up with: If you're drafting for need, the first two picks were either going to be defensive lineman first and offensive lineman second, or vice versa. If the Jaguars had taken Walker with the first pick, the highest-rated defensive lineman on the board in the second round would've been Maryland's Kris Jenkins. If you prefer the best available athlete theory, the picks would've been Walker in the first round and Maurice Williams in the second round. It appears to me that Stroud and Williams is a better combination than Walker and Jenkins or Walker and Williams. Why was Stroud a disappointing pick for a lot of people? Because they are Gator fans.

Tim Walker from Pinellas Park, FL:
I'm really excited about the upcoming NFL Europe League, and I was wondering what station the games would be aired on. I'm looking forward to watching Jonathan Quinn get some playing time, as I think he's got loads of potential, if he ever gets a legitimate shot.

Vic: NFL Europe games will be telecast on FOX Sports Net. Check your local cable TV listings for the corresponding channel. This Saturday, April 28, one p.m. EDT, the Berlin at Frankfurt game will be telecast by FOX Sports Net. Quinn, of course, is Berlin's starting quarterback.

Mack Doss from Cocoa, FL:
Kevin Hardy was not traded during the draft. Do you know the news on what they are going to do with him?

Vic:

There's really nothing to report on Kevin Hardy. Yes, the Jaguars need the cap room getting rid of his $2.2 million salary would provide, but it appears as though they're going to try to make cap room in other ways, and retain Hardy for the final year of his Jaguars contract. Of course, that could change according to personnel or contract negotiation developments.

Vic Ketchman is the Senior Editor of Jaguars Inside Report, the official team newspaper of the Jacksonville Jaguars. One-year subscriptions may be purchased by calling 1-888-846-5247.

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