Jacksonville may have a big say in how the NFL Draft develops, says Simon Veness

Are you keeping score at home? As I remarked a few weeks ago (in the VFA column on March 6), the NFL is the league that never sleeps, and the opening of the Free Agency period last month kicked off a round of activity that makes a nonsense of this being the "off-season."

Of more interest are the humble Jaguars, 'Wembley's team' for the next four seasons, who have been equally quiet on the acquisition front. They have been happy to let several key men from recent seasons hit the Free Agent queue - notably cornerback Derek Cox, receiver Laurent Robinson and running back Rashad Jennings. Admittedly, that's not a Who's Who of startling talent, but, with another dozen players all being declared surplus to requirements, there is clearly another major broom (and not of the Basil Brush variety) being wielded in this corner of Florida. Owner Shahid Khan and general manager David Caldwell have maintained something of an inscrutable smile about their low-key dealings so far, with only faint hints of the overall plan to (possibly) build a new offence around Blaine Gabbert or (possibly) go in a new direction altogether. It will be fascinating watching come April 25, when the Jags have seven picks to play with but, more importantly Nos. 2 and 33 and four overall in the first 100. There have been precious few insights for the legion of Draft-niks to go on to date - clear evidence of how close to their chest Messrs Khan and Caldwell are playing things - but it is clear this is a huge Draft for the franchise.

Short-term planning

After the misery of last year's 2-14 campaign, they were left with the most ground to make up on the rest of the league (along with Kansas City, who have been especially aggressive in free agency under new boss Andy Reid), and, with a new head coach in the lightly heralded former Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, they are in danger of being labelled the NFL's lame ducks before we even get to the pre-season. With a recent history of failure and trouble filling their stands, Jacksonville badly need a short-term boost. But they are also intriguingly poised to get it. Sitting at No 2, they are fully capable of taking the best available talent at that spot, and giving either the offence or defence a major shot in the arm, and following up with significant acquisitions in the early second and third round, too. Equally, they are well-placed to parlay that top pick into several others and, with the air of mystery which the front office is currently displaying, you wouldn't be at all surprised if they did. That, ultimately, is the delicious sense of theatre that is playing among Jags faithful right now and, while they might not fully appreciate the sense of 'Will they? Won't they?', it is potentially a winning (or, at least, improving) hand they are holding. All will, of course, be revealed when Roger Goodell steps to the podium on April 25 and utters the near-immortal words, "And with the second pick, the Jaguars select...." But don't be surprised if little Jacksonville don't have a big say in how things develop in every direction.