Jacksonville Jaguars 2018 NFL Draft targets: Tyrell Crosby

Oregon offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby is an ideal 2018 NFL Draft target for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After piling up talented NFL Draft prospects for many years, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally turned their fortunes around last season. Led by an elite defense and strong running game, the Jaguars battled their way to the AFC Championship Game. They were so close to reaching the Super Bowl that they could taste it.

Quarterback is obviously the Jaguars’ biggest need. Blake Bortles played pretty well down the stretch, but Jacksonville asked very little of him throughout the 2017 season and he did not step up when his team needed him to the most. He is not a terrible stop-gap option for this team, but Bortles is no longer a legitimate long-term solution at the quarterback position for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

However, they are not on the clock until the 29th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Finding a franchise quarterback in that range is unlikely.

That being said, the rest of the Jaguars’ roster is loaded with enough talent to compete. Despite not having that ideal franchise quarterback, the Jaguars’ window to win is undoubtedly open. So, this offseason, they need to continue to build their roster around their current quarterback situation and fill needs both through the draft and in free agency.

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Aside from quarterback, offensive line is arguably the biggest need on the Jags’ roster. They are set at left tackle and center for the foreseeable future with Cam Robinson and Brandon Linder respectively. However, they have obvious needs at both guard positions and the right tackle situation is far from perfect. They are in good hands at right tackle with Jermey Parnell right now, but Parnell is getting up there in age and is only under contract through 2019.

Ideally, the Jacksonville Jaguars could find an offensive line prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft who can fill their immediate need at guard and provide long-term stability at right tackle. Oregon offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby stands out as the ideal option.

Crosby was a strong contributor for all four years at Oregon. He primarily played right tackle early in his career, but made a successful transition to left tackle during his last two seasons. He was an absolutely dominant run blocker at Oregon showing ridiculous natural power up front.

Crosby’s game is primarily built on power, but he shows great natural length for an offensive tackle as well. He is not the most fleet of foot up front, but his quickness is adequate and his ability to mirror in pass protection is legitimate. Make no mistake about it, Crosby is an extremely talented offensive tackle prospect who has a lot of long-term upside.

While he did not play guard in college, I personally think that Crosby could make the transition inside at the next level. His power in the run game makes him an obvious fit and he showed enough quickness to make the plays as a pulling and trapping guard.

His elite run blocking skills would give him a ton of natural upside on the inside. Plus, while his pass protection skills are not as refined, playing inside primarily against power players should help him in that department.

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Crosby’s elite skills as a power run blocker makes him an ideal fit for the Jags. On top of that, his versatility as an offensive lineman who can play both guard and tackle fit with their timeline extremely well. As a rookie, the Jags could line Crosby up at left guard, pairing him up with Cam Robinson on the left side. No matter how you look at it, that is an impressive left side for Leonard Fournette to be running behind.

The Jacksonville Jaguars must make Tyrell Crosby a priority in the 2018 NFL Draft. He should be near the top of their list when they go on the clock with the 29th overall pick.