Solid Starter
Sheldon Day, DT, Notre Dame – Round 4 
I’m not sure when it will happen, but I think that Day will emerge as a starter for the Jaguars. The 6-foot-1, 293-pounder is a quick gap-shooter who is good at putting heat on the quarterback. Interior pass-rushers are hard to find, and I think Day was a huge steal in the fourth round. I think he could be a tough interior defender similar to Jonathan Babineaux or Brandon Mebane.
It could take some time for Day to break into the starting lineup. Jacksonville has given big contracts to Malik Jackson and Jared Odrick, two veterans who rush the passer from the inside during passing situations. The team also has a good lineman in Sen’Derrick Marks at that position. Second-year pro Michael Bennett is similar to Day, and they will be competing hard for playing time. Day will have to stand out in the preseason snaps and training camp to earn playing time.
It won’t be easy to break in, but Day is a good player, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up becoming a solid starter for Jacksonville.
Most Likely To Bust
Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State – Round 1 
While Ramsey was a lock as a top-10 pick, there were teams around the league that weren’t high on him. Sources with multiple playoff teams have said they had given Ramsey a second-round grade. Those general managers and scouts have told me that Ramsey is a press-man corner to play the Seattle Seahawks style of corner and be a Richard Sherman-type corner. Their teams play off-man, zone, and press-man and feel Ramsey struggles to play anything but press-man. He is good against a big receiver with the size and strength to battle them. However, smaller fast route-runners manage tp separate from him and get vertical against him downfield. As one top scout said, “Ramsey will do well against a big, physical receiver like Brandon Marshall, but T.Y. Hilton would tear him up.”
Sources from other teams loved Ramsey. The sources that love Ramsey said that while big corners struggle with small shifty players, Ramsey can reroute them easily at the line of scrimmage and cover them up with size and length downfield. Those sources compared Ramsey to Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Richard Sherman and Xavier Rhodes.
In my opinion, I think Ramsey could be a solid pro, but my thinking is more in line with the playoff teams. The Jaguars will play him at corner, and I think that Ramsey will struggle with fast wideouts. If the coaches move him to safety, I think he would be better, but he will need more weight to tackle. I don’t think that Ramsey will definitely be a bust, but I think the possibility is there.
Potential Boom Pick
Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA – Round 2 
I think that third-rounder Yannick Ngakoue and fourth-rounder Sheldon Day could be boom picks as well, but Jack was an easy selection. In my final big board prior to the 2016 NFL Draft, Jack was my second-rated prospect. He is a rare player who has cornerback-like cover skills in a linebacker’s body. Jack is phenomenal athlete and perfectly fits the NFL right now.
Jack is a well-balanced defender for the NFL. In run defense, he the has sideline-to-sideline speed to track down ball-carriers. Jack also is good at reading his keys and exploding through the scrum to take down ball-carriers. He has natural strength to defend the run with instincts. In pass coverage, Jack is amazing and an extremely rare prospect. He does things that linebackers are not supposed to be able to do. You see him line up as a nickel cornerback over tight ends or slot receivers and run with them to prevent separation. In the NFL, he could be a tremendous linebacker weapon to neutralize receiving-threat tight ends and help against receivers in the middle of the field. Sources say that Jack would practice with the corners at UCLA and his man-coverage skills are tremendous. Saying that his man-coverage skills are extremely rare is an understatement for Jack in pass coverage.
Obviously, the only reason why Jack didn’t go in the first round was because of concerns about his knee injury and how it is healing. Even if Jack requires another surgery, I think he’ll be able to come back from the issue and could end up being one of the best linebackers in the NFL.
Future Depth Player
Brandon Allen, QB, Arkansas – Round 6 
Jacksonville has its quarterback of the future in Blake Bortles, but aging veteran backup Chad Henne may not be around beyond another season or two. The Jaguars coached Allen in the Senior Bowl, so they know him well. He is a smart game-manager who doesn’t have the skill set to be a starter. Allen will have to hope to become Henne’s replacement, and from there impress enough in limited opportunities to get any consideration as a starter. Most likely, Allen will most likely turn into a career backup, but he could be a solid backup to Bortles in the long run.
Walt’s 2016 NFL Draft Grades:
5. Jalen Ramsey, CB/S, Florida State A+ Grade
Stupid teams do stupid things. The Jaguars used to be a stupid team, but they’ve made great strides recently, and now look like they’re on the cusp of competing for the playoffs. They’ve taken another step toward that with this pick. Jalen Ramsey is one of the top two players in the draft. Jacksonville shouldn’t have been able to obtain him with the fifth-overall selection, but it did. Congrats, Jaguars! You’re one of the winners of the draft.
This is a great pick, worthy of an A+. Ramsey is very talented, and he can play both cornerback and safety. Jacksonville’s secondary was a complete mess, but that’s no longer the case with Ramsey on the roster.
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
36. Myles Jack, LB, UCLA A+ Grade
I usually penalize teams for moving up in the 2016 NFL Draft, as history has shown that it’s not a good idea to squander resources. However, the Jaguars shifted up just two spots to obtain someone who was in consideration at No. 5 overall. That earns an automatic A+.
This might just be the best pick of the draft. Excluding his injury, Jack was seen as perhaps the best player in this class. He would’ve been a top-five selection had he not hurt his knee. He fell out of the first round because teams were scared off, but given that it’s become apparent that Jack doesn’t need micro-fracture knee surgery, there’s no excuse for the Browns and Chargers for passing on him. Credit the Jaguars, who are killing this draft. Oh, and also major dap to Charlie Campbell, who called this hours ago on Twitter!
69. Yannick Ngakoue, DE/OLB, Maryland B Grade
Had Jalen Ramsey been off the board at No. 5, the Jaguars would’ve picked Joey Bosa. They were clearly hungry for another edge rusher, so it’s not a surprise to see them take one here. Ngakoue was seen as a third-round prospect, so it makes sense to take one here. He has a great motor, which I’m sure the Jaguars will love.
103. Sheldon Day, DT, Notre Dame A Grade
The Jaguars have been enjoying a great draft thus far, so it’s not surprising that they began their third day with a bang. Sheldon Day is a very good football player, but he dropped because he’s a poor scheme fit for a lot of teams because of his size limitations. I struggled finding a spot for Day, but this makes a ton of sense. Day figures to be a great situational pass-rusher for Jacksonville.
181. Tyrone Holmes, DE/OLB, Montana A Grade
It’s always difficult to predict these things – NFL general managers often draft busts, after all – but Tyrone Holmes could end up being the steal of the draft. Holmes was extremely productive at Montana. Sure, the level of competition was an issue, but he was absolutely dominant for them. Holmes also has enormous potential, which he displayed at his Pro Day. He should’ve been chosen two rounds earlier. This is another great pick by the Jaguars.
201. Brandon Allen, QB, Arkansas A- Grade
The Jaguars didn’t have a developmental quarterback behind Blake Bortles, as Chad Henne was the only reserve quarterback. It makes sense to add another signal-caller, and I like Brandon Allen. He’s small (6-1, 217) and doesn’t have a big arm, but he’s a smart, accurate quarterback who should be able to develop into a solid No. 2. I’m actually surprised that Allen, who was great in the Senior Bowl, wasn’t chosen a couple of rounds earlier.
226. Jonathan Woodard, DE/DT, Central Arkansas C+ Grade
Jonathan Woodard has solid athleticism, but hasn’t really shown any other signs that he should’ve been drafted. Perhaps he’ll develop into a solid backup, but Woodard was probably better off on the UDFA wire.
2016 NFL Draft Team Grade: A+ . Follow Walter @walterfootball for updates.
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