1996 Season
9-7, 2nd in AFC Central
Lost to New England 20-6, in the AFC Championship game
1997 Draft Choices
Team Reporter
John McMullen
JMcmul1@aol.com
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Jacksonville Jaguars
For the first time in the Jaguars short history it was time to sit and wait. The Jaguars amazing playoff run left them picking at number 21 after two years of selecting impact players in the top five. There would be no Tony Boselli’s or Kevin Hardy’s in this years draft but the Jags ended up filling their most pressing need on defense. When the team lost out in the Gilbert Brown sweepstakes they felt they still had a huge hole to fill and may have done it picking athletic Notre Dame defensive tackle Renaldo Wynn. In the long run, the Jaguars might find out they are thrilled the one dimensional Brown turned down more money to stay in Green Bay because in Wynn, they have a player with the physical attributes to turn into a complete defensive tackle. The Following is a rundown of the Jaguars 1997 draft choices:
Round 1 - Pick 21 - Renaldo Wynn - DT - Notre Dame - 6-3, 288
Wynn shot up the draft board in recent weeks thanks to strong individual workouts. Has tremendous speed and strength and keeps getting bigger and stronger. Has the body of a defensive tackle but the quickness to play outside. Works hard and continues to learn how to shed blockers and recognize plays. Is almost a can’t miss quality player thanks to his work ethic and athleticism.
Summary: Will immediately push both John Jurkovic and Don Davey for playing time and should be a starter early in the season. As I said two years from know The Jaguars are going to be happy that Gilbert Brown wanted to keep his one dimensional game in Green Bay. Grade: B+
Round 2 - Pick 50 - Mike Logan - DB - West Virginia - 6-0, 200
Has played corner and safety. Aggressive, hard working player with excellent size and speed. Big play maker who should be able to handle backs and tight ends. Hits hard
and should be solid in run support. Is also a pretty good kickoff and punt returner. Very injury prone in the past but did stay healthy for the first time in 1996. Probably isn’t quick enough to handle the corner on a regular basis.
Summary: Another need pick and Logan should immediately challenge Dana Hall for playing time in the secondary. Should be the team’s future at strong safety. Will also get a chance to handle some of the team’s kick returning duties. Grade: B
Round 3 - Pick 79 - James Hamilton - LB - North Carolina - 6-5, 237
King sized, tall, rangy linebacker with excellent speed and athleticism. Looks like a potential big time pass rusher as a blitzing weak side linebacker. Has a very skinny lower body and might be susceptible to injuries. Doesn’t show a lot of natural football instincts especially in pass coverage and may be a bit of tweener.
Summary: Great athlete who should be an asset on special teams and provide solid depth behind Kevin Hardy and Eddie Robinson. Will not get a chance to play much as long as those two stay healthy but nevertheless, this is a solid depth choice. Grade: B
Round 4 - Pick 114 - Seth Payne - DT - Cornell - 6-4 , 301
Excellent sized player who is obviously very smart after spending four years at Cornell. Payne’s a good athlete and has a 33 inch vertical leap but still has to be considered a major project due to the fact that he never dominated the competition even at Cornell.
Summary: If Payne shows anything it may spell the end of the road for Kelvin Pritchett in Jacksonville. Should be a backup defensive tackle who spends the year learning the NFL on the sidelines. A bit of a reach in the fourth round. Grade: C
Round 5 - Pick 147 - Damon Jones - Southern Illinois - 6-6, 287
Boom or bust time. The physically gifted Jones has been compared to Eric Green for both his physical gifts and off the field problems. The king sized Jones is a great all around athlete who is amazingly speedy and agile for his size. He can do it all, excellent receiver, good blocker and can stretch the defense down the middle. On the downside, Jones has had legal problems for an alleged Molotov Cocktail incident and for stealing items from a grocery store.
Summary: If he shows up and takes his job seriously, it wouldn’t surprise me if he started right away for the Jags. If he shows up with an attitude, it wouldn’t surprise me if Coughlin cut him but all in the all this is a great gamble in the 5th round. Grade: A
Round 6 - Pick 184 - Daimon Shelton - RB - Cal. St. Sacremento, 6-0, 247
Overweight, out of shape huge running back. Shelton moves well for his size and is a strong powerful runner who breaks tackles. Even with his size, Shelton is more of a halfback than fullback. He lacks pass catching ability and blocking skills.
Summary: The Jaguars need a fullback and who knows maybe Shelton will get to camp, work hard, get in shape and develop blocking skills. Even if he does, Shelton is still a minimum of a year away from any contribution. Grade: C
Round 7 - Pick 221 - Jon Hesse - LB - Nebraska - 6-4, 250
Middle linebacker with great size. Good run stuffer, knows the game. Leader on the field who can really quarterback a defense. Lacks great athleticism, strength and range. Below average in pass coverage. Has improved every year and should be a contributor on special teams.
Summary: Good pick for the 7th round but with Tom McManus and Bryan Schwartz, the Jaguars already have two solid middle linebacker types, Might be squeezed out of a roster spot in the numbers game but if the Jags can find a spot Heese could contribute down the road. Grade: B
Team Notes:
The Jaguars as expected after signing Deon Figures and resigning Dave Thomas released veteran cornerback Micky Washington. Washington had a high cap figure this year and the Jags just couldn’t afford that number for a nickel or dime back. If no one else shows interest in Washington, the Jags may attempt to resign him at a lesser salary...The team also recently resigned placekicker Mike Hollis, Long snapper Rich Griffith and DT Andre Davis to 1997 deals...After the draft was over the Jaguars signed 11 rookie free agents including highly regarded quarterback Lance Funderbunk from Valdosta State. Funderbunk may stick as the team’s 3rd quarterback...Also signed were RB David Thompson, WR’s Marcell West & James Kidd, TE Isaac Curtis, OT’s Craig Warren & Todd Fordham, DE Al Wallace, LB Jamie Beasley, CB’s Curtis Anderson & Kevin Devine...The Jaguars were thinking about drafting a receiver somewhere along the line but Tom Coughlin thinks Reggie Barlow and Curtis Marsh are ready to step it up...With the signing of Funderbunk, the team released QB Steve Taneyhill whom they had allocated to the WLAF...Coughlin seriously thought about trading up for Florida State defensive end Reinard Wilson which is strange because the team is loaded at defensive end. Coughlin is reportedly worried about the age of Jeff Lageman and Clyde Simmons...With Renaldo Wynn a certainty of making the team and Seth Payne an almost certainty, two of the existing defensive lineman will have to be replaced. The names being bandied about are Pritchett, Don Davey, Andre Davis and Joel Smeenge. Bet on Pritchett and Davis to get their walking papers.
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