No. 26

Pick by Big Cat Country Trevor Laws Defensive Tackle Notre Dame

The picks continue to roll in here at the 2008 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft.  With the 26th overall selection, the Jacksonville Jaguars have selected Notre Dame DT Trevor Laws.  River City Rage, Jags guru out at Big Cat Country, explains his selection of Laws below:

  The Jacksonville Jaguars created an image for themselves under Jack Del Rio for playing tough smash-mouth football.   Much of this reputation comes from the play of their two defensive tackles,  Pro Bowlers John Henderson and Marcus Stroud. The tone of the defense is established by the play of the two beasts in the middle, so much so that it came to define the team.  Yet as the Jaguars rose to be a serious playoff contender a problem emerged when Stroud never seemed to recover from an ankle injury and Henderson struggled with off the field personal issues.  Marcus would then be traded to the Buffalo Bills and now the Jaguars have, in my opinion, a gaping hole at defensive tackle.

It's not their only need, by any stretch, as long as the Jaguars take a "big guy" in the first round it'll be a good draft, but taking a defensive tackle here makes sense considering who's still available at pick 26.  My first thought was to go for a defensive end, but with Phillip Merling going to the Vikings and Calais Campbell going to the Titans , the pickings become a little more slim.  I considered Quentin Groves of Auburn, but I don't want the Jaguars to embark on yet another designated pass-rusher type DE/OLB.  I considered the top linebackers still available with Dan Connor and Jerod Mayo still out there.

But instead, our pick is Notre Dame Defensive Tackle Trevor Laws, a player who might not be the best defensive tackle available (Kentwan Balmer), he doesn't feel like too much of a reach either.  You've got to love a guy who's described as having a "relentless motor", "disruptive bull rusher" and who also excelled at Notre Dame with a 3.15 GPA.  In fact, the play of Laws might be the only highlight of last years Notre Dame football season.  He also has a background in wrestling and shot put.  He was on the leadership committee for the Notre Dame football team and was considered the emotional leader of the defense.  New Era Scouting considers him an every down defensive tackle, exactly what the Jaguars need.  I'd rather reach for a 4 downs guy than take another risk with a defensive end that belongs as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

The risk with Laws is that his size height (only 6-1) means he could struggle to find the ball against taller linemen.  Though he's plenty quick to get around the block and disrupt anything in the backfield.  Jacksonville needs to create a pass rush from somewhere and returning to the days of collapsing the pocket up the middle like Stroud and Henderson in their prime could do the trick.  Returning the inside of our defensive line back to their glory days will relieve the pressure on the Jaguars to find a true pass rushing defensive end in the first round.  There's talent at defensive end later in the second round, hopefully.

Another potential mistake with drafting Trevor Laws is that Offensive Tackle Jeff Otah from Pitt is still out there as well, and fresh faces on the offensive line would be very good for the Jaguars.  What I'm baking on is as much based on the vibe I get from seeing Laws interview and the praise he's received for his motor and enthusiasm for the game. As late as the Jaguars pick in the first round the less likely it becomes that we'll get the instant hit that we'd like, but by picking Laws, we get a true "football player", a guy that Jack Del Rio will love to coach and someone that will out play his expectations.  

In a perfect world the Jaguars would trade down into the early 2nd round and pick Laws rather than making the slight reach here to draft him at 26.

As far as I'm concerned the Jaguars first round pick must go to a defensive tackle, end, or offensive lineman.  As long as we pick one of those three (and it's a 4-3 end, not a 3-4 OLB), the Jaguars can't really go wrong.  I like Laws over Balmer because of his motor and overachievement.  Notre Dame was awful last season and Trevor Laws helped keep that defense in the game with his leadership.  Where some players would quit and try to not get hurt as they get closer to the draft, especially on a very poor team, Trevor just kept chopping wood.  For that, i think he'd be a fine addition to the Jaguars.  

Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

I like how Jacksonville fills a need here, and I am a Laws fan. Jacksonville has filled so many needs via free agency that they can really sit back and pick "their" guy here. Laws is an aggressive, high-motor player who will give Jacksonville some intensity next to John Henderson. The only way I see this pick not happening is if the Jags were to draft an offensive tackle, namely Jeff Otah. Each is a need, and this pick is only a slight stretch.

Grade: B  ::  Trevor Laws Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining: 1.  LB Dan Connor, 2.  LB Jerod Mayo, 3.  QB Joe Flacco, 4.  RB Felix Jones, 5.  DT Kentwan Balmer

One more pick coming at you today, folks, and we're pleased to announce that the pick will be made by a guest blogger.  Rob Zepeda, of Bolt Hype fame, will be making the pick for the San Diego Chargers, who are now on the clock.