The Jaguars provided new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams an awfully nice “Welcome to Jacksonville” gift, opting to use all but their last draft pick on the defensive side. Of paramount importance to Williams’ high-pressure 4-3 scheme are speedy ends to attack the quarterback off the edge, and Paul Spicer and Reggie Hayward hardly fit the bill. Enter Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves, two of the most physically gifted pass rushers in this class. The Jaguars gave up their first-round pick, two thirds and a fourth-rounder to Baltimore to move up to select Harvey, whose tremendous pre-draft workouts had him shooting up teams’ boards. A polished Florida product, Harvey should make his presence known immediately. Auburn’s Groves also terrorized SEC quarterbacks, and he has an even better burst off the line. But he’s a bit of a one-trick pony at this point and will be used as a situational pass rusher until he adds some bulk to his 6-3, 259-pound body to hold up against the run. An intelligent and fiery linebacker out of USC, Thomas Williams has much in common with coach Jack Del Rio. Although Williams has athletic limitations and wasn’t a full-time starter for the Trojans, his ability to play both inside and outside gives him value as a utility piece. CB Trae Williams also displays solid character, but middling speed and small size will make it hard for him to see much game time. RB Chauncey Washington, another Trojan, is the lone draftee for the offense. His college production didn’t meet his physical gifts, and he’s nothing more than insurance behind Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.
