The Jaguars draft class of 2011 was disappointing this year, but, they still have a nice upside….so it’s way to early to consider giving up on this bunch.  Here is how the rookies played in 2011:

The Jaguars traded up to pick 22-year old QB Blaine Gabbert in the first round.  The Jaguars threw him right into the fire after Luke McCown got off to a slow start.  Gabbert played in 15 games for the Jaguars last year and he completed 210 of 413 passes  (50.8%) for 2,214 yards with 12 TD passes and 11 INTs (65.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 48 times for 98 yards (2.0 ypc) last year.  The Jaguars hope that new head coach Mike Mularkey will be able to coach up Gabbert, who is the Jaguars’ QB of the present and future.

22-year old OG William Rackley was picked in the second round of the NFL Draft.  Rackley played in 15 games (14 starts) for the Jaguars last year.  He looks like he will be a fixture on the O-Line for the Jaguars for a long, long time.

24-year old WR Cecil Shorts was a 4th round pick last April.  Shorts was supposed to inject some speed into the Jags’ WRing corp, but he didn’t.  Shorts played in 10 games for the Jaguars last year and he caught 2 passes for 30 yards (15.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Shorts also returned 12 punts for 50 yards (4.2 ypc) and 4 kickoffs for 82 yards (20.5 avg) last year.

24-year old safety Chris Prosinski was picked in the 4th round.  Prosinski played in 13 games for the Jaguars last year and he had 9 tackles.

22-year old CB/S Rod Isaac was a fifth round pick last April.  He played in 3 games for the Jaguars but he didn’t have any tackles.

GRADE FOR 2011:  D

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C+

The Jaguars have hired 50-year old Mike Mularkey to be their new head coach.  Mularkey has been the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons the last four years.  He has been and NFL assistant coach for 16 years, serving as the offensive coordinator for 8 of those seasons.  This is his second go around as a head coach in the NFL.  He compiled a 14-18 record (43.8%) in charge of the 2004 and 2005 Buffalo Bills.  They definitely picked Mularkey to add some juice to the offense, which was pathetic last season.  Mularkey will be replacing 40-year old Mel Tucker, who served as the interim head coach the last five weeks of the 2011 season for the Jaguars.  He led the Jags to a 2-3 record as they averaged 21.0 points per game while giving up 25.8 points per game.  Coach Mularkey is going to try to convince Mel Tucker to stay on the coaching staff for 2012.

22-year old rookie QB Blaine Gabbert replaced Luke McCown after the first two games and he struggled.  The Jaguars were 4-10 (28.6%) with Gabbert at QB in 2011.  He played in 15 games (14 starts) for the Jaguars last year and he completed 210 of 413 passes (50.8%) for 2,214 yards with 12 TD passes and 11 INTs (65.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 48 times for 98 yards (2.0 ypc) in 2011.  The Jaguars have faith in Gabbert as their QB of the future.  In Gabbert’s defense……he had a lousy set of WRs and TEs to throw to in 2011.

30-year old Luke McCown couldn’t hold onto the starting QB job too long.  He started the first two games of the year for the Jaguars and they were 1-1 in those games.  McCown played in 4 games (2 starts) for the Jaguars last year and he completed 30 of 56 passes (53.6%) for 296 yards with 0 TD passes and 4 INTs (39.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 7 times for 23 yards (3.3 ypc) last year for the Jags.  McCown has now played in 20 games (9 starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 184 of 316 passes (58.2%) for 2,035  yards with 9 TD passes and 14 INTs (68.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 29 times for 184 yards (6.3 ypc) so far in his NFL career.  McCown is 2-7 (22.2%) as a starting QB in his NFL career.  I look for the Jaguars to try to upgrade on McCown as the backup QB before the 2012 season begins.

The Jaguars played good defense and Maurice Jones-Drew took care of the rest.  Blaine Gabbert was pretty solid in this game as a game manager type as he completed 11 of 19 passes for 92 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Maurice Jones-Drew was incredible once again last Sunday as he carried the ball 25 times for 169 yards (6.8 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 4 yards.  TE Marcedes Lewis (3 rec, 33 yards) and WR Chastin West (1 rec, 23 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Jags.  The Jaguars finished up with 190 yards rushing on 35 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 19 passes (57.9%) for 71 yards as they had possession of the ball for 30:48.

The Jaguars played great defense in this football game.  CB Kevin Rutland (9 tackles), LB Russell Allen (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and DE Jeremy Mincey (5 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Jags on D in this game.  CB Morgan Trent (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and DE George Selvie (3 tackles, 1/2 a sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit and 1 fumble recovery) also pitched in for the Jags in this game.  The Colts finished up with 56 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 40 passes (67.5%) for 242 yards.  The Jaguars finished the 2011 season with a 5-11 record.

The Jaguars have lost five of their last six games as they have looked awful lately.  They beat the Colts 17-3 earlier this year in Indianapolis.  The Colts are a lock for the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2012, if they lose this game.  Their players aren’t going to go for that as they have won two games in a row over AFC South opponents (Texans and Titans).  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to feed the ball to Maurice-Jones Drew so that he can win the NFL rushing title.  It is also their best chance to win this game as the Colts are giving up 140.9 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry so far this year.  The Jaguars are going to have to keep DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis out of the backfield or Blaine Gabbert is going to have a rough time throwing the ball.  The Jaguars are going to need some WRs and TEs to step up if they are going to win this game.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are starting to feel better about themselves.  The Jaguars are going to have to brace for a heavy attack by the Colts’ passing game.  The Jaguars are going to have to mount a good pass rush or Dan Orlovsky could have a big game.  Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon are heading into free agency after the game on Sunday, so they are going to want to go out with a bang.  WR Austin Collie, TE Jacob Tamme and RB Joseph Addai will lend support on the shorter passes for the Colts in this game.  If the Jaguars put a lot of DBs in the game, look for Orlovsky to turn around and hand the ball off to Donald Brown and Joseph Addai.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 20, JAGUARS 17

26-year old RB Maurice Jones-Drew has been a one man gang offensively for the Jaguars so far this year.  He has played in 15 games for the Jaguars and he has carried the ball 318 times for 1,437 yards (4.5 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  Jones-Drew has also caught 42 passes for 370 yards (8.8 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far this season.  Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider that the Jaguars are only averaging 140.5 yards passing so far this year, so teams have been keying on stopping him.  Jones-Drew has now played in 92 games in his first six years for the Jaguars and he has carried the ball 1,459 times for 6,685 yards (4.6 ypc) with 62 TD runs.  He has also caught 277 passes for 2,469 yards (8.9 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the best football players in Jacksonville Jaguars’ history and he’s going to continue putting up outstanding numbers for them, health permitting.

The Jaguars have signed 26-year old CB Trumaine McBride.  McBride played in 14 games for the Cardinals last year and he had 16 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 46 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 68 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 8 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Don’t be surprised to see McBride play a lot this weekend against the Colts as the Jags are desperate at CB due to injuries.

The Jaguars have placed 29-year old DE Matt Roth (concussion) and 27-year old CB Ashton Youboty (hamstring) on the Injured Reserve List, ending their seasons.  Roth played in 9 games for the Jaguars this year and he had 24 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.  Youboty played in 6 games for the Jaguars this year and he had 25 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed.  I would think that the Jaguars might bring Youboty back for 2012, as he looked pretty good for them.  Roth returning is probably a little less likely.

The Jaguars just couldn’t muster enough offense to beat the Titans last Saturday in Tennessee.  Blaine Gabbert was not too good in this game as he completed 21 of 42 passes for 198 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Maurice Jones-Drew led the way on the ground for the Jaguars in this game with 103 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 6 passes for 21 yards (3.5 avg) in this game.  WR Jarrett Dillard (5 rec, 61 yards), TE Colin Coherty (2 rec, 33 yards) and WR Mike Thomas (3 rec, 26 yards) led the way for the Jaguars in the passing game.  The Jaguars finished up with 113 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 42 passes (50%) for 187 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:01.

The defense played hard, but not good enough to win in this game.  Safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (8 tackles), CB Drew Coleman (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and safety Dawan Landry (7 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Jags’ D in this game.  DT Leger Douzable also had a solid game with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  CB Morgan Trent and DE Jeremy Mincey pitched in with one interception apiece in this game.  The Titans finished up with 65 yards rushing on 25 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 40 passes (60%) for 342 yards.  The Jaguars are now 4-11 on the year.

The Jaguars have lost four of their last five games as their season is going down the commode.  But, they did beat the Titans 16-14 in Jacksonville in the season opener.  The Titans have lost two games in a row, including a shocking 27-13 decision against the Colts last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to attack the Titans’ front seven with Maurice Jones-Drew both running the ball and catching it out of the backfield.  Jones-Drew should have no problem finding running room tomorrow as the Titans are giving up 127.7 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  The Titans don’t have a great pass rush, so Blaine Gabbert should have time to throw the ball.  His WRs and TEs don’t catch the ball too well, so it might be a moot point.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans will likely work backwards tomorrow, using the passing game to set up the run.  The Jaguars need to get after Matt Hasselbeck, or he could really torch their secondary.  Nate Washington, Lavelle Hawkins, Damian Williams and TE Jared Cook give Hasselbeck some nice targets in the passing game.  If the Titans are effective throwing the ball, it will set up RB Chris Johnson to have a solid game tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 23, JAGUARS 13