Did Jacksonville miss out on Dolphins’ Taylor?

By Lee Gordon  |   Tuesday, April 29, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

Jacksonville Jaguars
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For months, Bill Parcells said that if Jason Taylor plays in 2008, it’ll be for the Miami Dolphins. But things changed over the course of the past few days and no one coveted the defensive end more than the Jacksonville Jaguars. Actually, no one needed a big-time end more than the Jags. After losing end Bobby McCray to the Saints and trading tackle Marcus Stroud to Buffalo, it was clear Jacksonville's massive defensive line had some major holes to fill.

However, he draft came and went, and Taylor -- who has 117 career sacks -- is still on the Dolphins. After failing to add Taylor, the Jags spent more money and traded three picks to move up for Florida DE Derrick Harvey, whom they chose eighth overall.

How did the Jags miss out on one of the best defensive ends in the past decade and then go ahead and trade up for Harvey? Before you throw in the towel and call it one of the worst picks in franchise history, think about this: Maybe the best thing the Jags could have done was elect not to add Taylor.

Harvey was the fourth-highest pick in franchise history and the second defensive end taken overall. He started 18 games in three seasons at Florida and recorded 20.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss.

As a junior in 2007, Harvey started all 13 games at left defensive end and ranked fifth in the SEC with a team-leading 8.5 sacks. He also led the Gators with 17 tackles for loss and was named second-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches. In 2006, Harvey led Florida with 11 sacks and was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the BCS national championship Game against Ohio State.

Harvey may not be the 34-year-old Taylor, but his upside is tremendous. Harvey brings two things that the Jags desperately need: On one hand, he fills the hole at DE. Secondly, in Jacksonville, a major college town, you can never go wrong picking a Gator. Last year, the Jags took Reggie Nelson in the first round. Ten years ago, it was Fred Taylor. Harvey isn’t going to sell out Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, but he has the potential to dominate.

If the season were to begin today, the Jags would have Reggie Hayward and Harvey on the ends and John Henderson and Rob Meier inside. Hayward is coming off major surgery in 2006 and a very subpar 2007. Henderson had one of the worst years of his career a season ago, and Meier -- who's been a backup -- is expected to replace the decorated Stroud. As for Harvey, the jury is still out. But he’s still a better move now and for the future than Taylor would have been. He’s also someone who isn’t dancing with any stars -- he’s just trying to become one.


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