Jaguars Land Deebo Samuel in 2019 Re-Draft
The 2019 NFL Draft is one of the very few drafts in which the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't whiff in a big way in the first round, landing pass-rusher Josh Allen at No. 7 overall.
But what if the 2019 draft replayed today with the knowledge we now have? Would the Jaguars have still selected Allen at No. 7 overall if they knew how the last three years would have played out?
That is the question Pro Football Focus asked in a re-draft of the 2019 NFL Draft. And with the first six players off the board today being Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa, A.J. Brown, Maxx Crosby, Jeffrey Simmons, and Terry McLaurin, the Jaguars had exactly the chance to take Allen once again.
Instead, though, PFF went in another direction. Instead of opting for Allen or any other pass-rusher, PFF went for offensive firepower for the 2019 Jaguars, giving them former South Carolina and current San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel at No. 7 overall.
"Though I wouldn’t say the Jaguars are unhappy with their selection of Allen by any means, Deebo Samuel has proven to be one of the top offensive weapons in all of football. There aren’t many NFL teams, if any, over the past three years who could have used a playmaker like that more than the Jaguars," PFF wrote.
Picking Samuel at No. 7 certainly would have been controversial in 2019 considering Samuel went No. 36 overall to the 49ers then, but Samuel has stood out over the last three years as one of the most versatile weapons in all of football.
In the last three years, Samuel has recorded 167 catches for 2,598 catches (15.6 yards per catch) and 10 touchdown catches, along with 81 carries for 550 yards and 11 touchdowns. This gives Samuel 3,148 yards and 21 touchdowns over the last three years.
In that span, the Jaguars' top players in terms of yards from scrimmage and touchdowns are the following: James Robinson (2,403, 18), DJ Chark (1,888, 15), Leonard Fournette (1,674, 3), Laviska Shenault (1,351, 5), and Chris Conley (1,246, 6). In short, Samuel would be by far the best weapon the Jaguars offense would have seen in the last three years.
The question here is if a wide receiver is more valuable than a pass-rusher. Samuel is one of the top wide receivers in the NFL while Allen is a solid pass-rusher but hasn't hit double-digit sacks since 2019 in large part due to injuries. There is no question Samuel would likely be picked by most fans as the better option, but there also needs to be a discussion about the Jaguars not having the play-caller the last three years to take advantage of Samuel's skill set.
Still, Samuel is an electric play-maker and would fill a giant void for the Jaguars both in the past and today. The Jaguars hope Travis Etienne and even Shenault could potentially be like Samuel, but there is also a good chance there is only one Samuel in the NFL.
"We’ll take the success those guys have had no matter who it is, whether it’s Travis [Etienne Jr.] or any of those guys," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said last week.
"I think it’s kind of going to be a case-by-case basis. Whatever’s going to give us the best opportunity to put Travis in positions to succeed is what we’re going to do, whether that’s him as a receiver coming in the backfield or as a running back leaving the backfield to be a receiver. Whatever that may be, I think that kind of evolves as the season goes or week by week even really.”
As for Allen, PFF slotted him at No. 13 to the Miami Dolphins, who originally took defensive lineman Christian Wilkins. Allen was the third edge rusher drafted in 2019, but in this re-draft finds himself behind Bosa (No. 2), Crosby (No. 4), Rashan Gary (No. 8), and Brian Burns (No. 12).
"Wilkins has turned into a great pro for the Dolphins, so the switch at this pick from interior defensive line to edge is more for the fun of it. Allen recorded 10 sacks as a rookie but has 10 sacks combined over the past two seasons. A fully healthy Allen should certainly yield more double-digit sacks seasons," PFF wrote.
Allen came in fourth in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2019, earning a nod as a Pro Bowl alternate as he set a Jaguars rookie record in sacks (10.5) while recording 11 tackles for loss and 23 quarterback hits, along with two forced fumbles. He became the first Jaguars rookie to ever appear in the Pro Bowl.
Allen appeared in eight games in 2020, recording 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits. He then appeared in 16 games last season, recording 7.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception.
Now, Allen will enter his fourth season with the Jaguars and first under new head coach Doug Pederson and new defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell. This will also be Allen's second year in a 3-4 defense after last year's role as an outside linebacker in Joe Cullen's defense.
