David Leaverton may satisfy three of the Jaguars' needs. Leaverton was drafted in the fifth round to be the Jaguars' punter this season, but coach Tom Coughlin is holding out hope Leaverton will also be able to handle the kickoff and placement-holding chores.
"If David can win that job," Coughlin said of kickoff specialist, "we can have a punter/kickoff specialist, who allows that one more player is on your roster on gameday. I would like to think he can do (the holding) and we will work on that from day one," Coughlin said.
However, Leaverton was drafted because the Jaguars have a distinct need for a punter to replace Bryan Barker, and Coughlin considered Leaverton the best directional punter in the draft.
"David is the punter with the best footwork in the draft. The value was in David and our situation put us in the position that I didn't want to wait until free agency," Coughlin said.
Leaverton is the Jaguars' first selection of the second day of the draft. The Jaguars are without picks in the fourth and sixth rounds, and though Leaverton might've been a bit of a reach in the fifth round, Coughlin didn't want to wait until the seventh round to address his critical need for a punter.
"In this day and age and in our division, you're talking about people who can ruin the day by returning the punt. The directional punter is an ongoing must," Coughlin said.
