The Jacksonville Jaguars were a mess in 2013 with a 4-12 record and one of the worst offenses and defenses in the NFL. The team’s attendance was down and fan support is waning in a big way. The organization needs a spark and that spark could come in the just under six foot frame of a certain Heisman Trophy quarterback that could be available when their first round pick arrives.
Jacksonville has the No. 3 pick in May’s NFL Draft and they must be considering Johnny Manziel if he isn’t taken with the top overall pick. The St. Louis Rams with the No. 2 pick aren’t going to take a quarterback over Sam Bradford. This means the Jaguars could be in perfect position to get someone that would bring fan interest back to the team. It also means Jacksonville must be willing to move up one spot to No. 2 to make sure that they get Manziel. It has been a long time since Mark Brunell and Natrone Means were leading the Jaguars within one game of the Super Bowl. The fans would love to see Tim Tebow come home to Florida but would likely accept Manziel instead.
The team was 22nd in passing yards per game and 31st in rushing yards. Why not have Manziel running around getting the fans excited about Jaguars football? He also would get the chance to go to London and have fans overseas get wound up about what the team could do. The Jaguars really can’t do much worse than Manziel at this point. While analysts like ESPN’s Ron Jaworski believe that Manziel isn’t worth taking in the first three rounds of the draft let alone the first three picks, Jacksonville has to do something to shake things up.
Chad Henne threw for 3,241 yards last season but is an unrestricted free agent. Maurice Jones-Drew is also a free agent and will likely leave town. This team isn’t getting any better without some major changes. The turnaround can begin by getting Manziel in the draft and seeing what other players the Jaguars can put around him to at least make the 2014 season one that the fans will always remember. It won’t help the defense any but the seats will be full for every single home game the team plays next season.