Jacksonville Jaguars: 2019 rookie class will provide instant impact

The Jacksonville Jaguars should get a ton of impact from their 2019 rookie class, specifically their top three selections.

Even after just making it all the way to the AFC Championship game two years ago, it seems like everyone is so down on the Jacksonville Jaguars for 2019.

Either that, or the Jaguars are just the least talked about team (outside of the Jalen Ramsey situation) in the NFL this offseason.

The Jaguars showed a couple of years ago that they are capable of winning games by playing a very ‘Tom Coughlin’ style of football, though Coughlin’s area of impact is obviously not on the sidelines anymore.

After Coughlin and the Jaguars’ front office went out this offseason and acquired 2017 Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles to be their new quarterback, they went out and had one of the best drafts in the entire league.

As we sit here in the month of June, looking for things to talk about, I think it’s worth mentioning that the Jaguars got three players at the top of their 2019 rookie class who will make an immediate and substantial impact on their chances in the AFC South this year.

1. Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky

Josh Allen was not supposed to fall all the way to the seventh overall pick, but he did.

He didn’t miss a single game in his 51-game college career with the Wildcats where he set an all-time record of 31.5 sacks, including a season-high 17 in 2018.

The SEC defensive player of the year was obviously the primary focus of any offense trying to go up against a solid Kentucky defense the last couple of years, but that didn’t matter. He still found ways to be ultra-productive, and my guess is that will continue with the Jaguars.

Jacksonville has Yannick Ngakoue on one side of the defense and with Josh Allen lined up on the other, teams are really going to have their hands full.

Allen’s length and speed off the edge are going to be a problem for teams this season.

2. Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida

Jawaan Taylor likely knows Josh Allen quite well from their competition in the SEC over the past couple of seasons, but the two will now only have to go up against each other in practice.

Throughout the offseason, I had Taylor penciled into the Jaguars’ pick at no. 7 overall a number of times and felt like he was a no-brainer as a first-round pick.

Taylor fell out of the first round entirely when some information (which he later declared to be false) about a knee condition floated around NFL circles.

The Jaguars took a similar risk on Myles Jack a few years ago, and that has paid off handsomely.

Taylor was the best run blocking tackle in the draft and he will play the right tackle spot with Cam Robinson at the left tackle spot, giving the Jaguars two of the nastiest offensive tackles in the running game in the NFL.

3. Josh Oliver, TE, San Jose State

Don’t let Oliver’s college team fool you — this guy is going to be immediately translatable to the NFL game.

His closest physical/athletic comp coming out of college is Rob Gronkowski coming out of Arizona in 2010. Oliver may not yet be Gronkowski, but his skill-set is very much conducive to today’s NFL and I think he’s going to be an impact player for the Jaguars right away.

Oliver has exceptional straight speed, is explosive, and has strong, reliable hands.

He’s a possible game-changer in the passing game and will be an asset for the Jaguars in the running game as well.

This draft class, overall, was very good for Jacksonville. They played the board perfectly and let the players fall to them rather than reaching for need. As a result, I think they now have three players who ended up filling major needs but also players who are not going to take much time to adjust to the speed of the NFL.

These guys are high-impact players right away.