Grüße und Vorstellung » stunned the Saints

The Jacksonville Jaguars used the NFL draft to build for the future Authentic Martinas Rankin Jersey , not necessarily this fall.

They used every pick on down-the-road starters instead of filling pressing needs.

It’s a luxury rarely seen in Jacksonville, which made the AFC championship game in January after a decade of failure and futility. The Jags return 18 of 22 starters from a team that led the NFL in rushing and ranked second in total defense.

Top executive Tom Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell liked the team’s makeup enough that they actually made a best-player-available pick in the first round when they added Florida’s Taven Bryan to a defensive line that includes Pro Bowlers Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson and Yannick Ngakoue.

”We want the competition. We want it as much as we can get it,” Coughlin said following the three-day draft Saturday. ”That’s the one thing in our game that makes everybody better. These people were drafted to be football players, whether it’s a starter or whatever. It takes everybody.”

Bryan was the first of several Jacksonville draft picks expected to be backups as rookies.

The Jaguars envision LSU receiver DJ Chark (second round), Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison (third) and North Carolina State right tackle Will Richardson (fourth) as eventual starters, but neither of them is considered a plug-and-play guy.

”If they come in and play that is a bonus, too,” Caldwell said. ”We are not just going to say, `Hey, take it easy for the next two years.’ Those guys have to come in and compete. … Competition is great. The more depth you can have and be prepared for any situation then the better off you will be.”

Here are some other things to know about Jacksonville’s draft, which included Nebraska quarterback Tanner Lee (sixth round), Wisconsin linebacker Leon Jacobs (seventh) and Mississippi State punter Logan Cooke (seventh).

TAKING A CHANCE: The Jaguars took a chance with the 129th pick on Richardson, who was suspended twice in three years at North Carolina State.

The 6-foot-6, 306-pound Richardson started 30 games at right tackle for the Wolfpack. He was suspended for the first two games last season for what he said was a marijuana-related violation. As a redshirt freshman in November 2015 Robbie Ray Jersey , he was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated. He was suspended one game for that and served a university-imposed suspension for the 2016 spring semester.

”Ideally, we don’t like any baggage,” Caldwell said. ”We don’t like to have to answer these questions on a day like today, but we also understand some of these players have a past and hopefully they grow from their past and become fine, upstanding citizens. The time that his discipline ended to this point and time in the draft and all the research and background checks and everything we’ve done on him has led us to believe that hopefully that’s behind him now. Time will tell, and it’s up to him to make sure that he holds his end of the bargain up.”

Richardson will compete at right tackle with 31-year-old Jermey Parnell, and if he doesn’t win the job, would be the team’s swing tackle in 2018.

DEVELOPMENTAL QB: Jacksonville added a third quarterback when it drafted Nebraska’s Tanner Lee in the sixth round. Lee will compete with Cody Kessler for the backup spot behind Blake Bortles. Coach Doug Marrone said the team would be open to keeping three QBs on the roster.

The 6-foot-4 Lee has a big arm, but he completed just 57.5 percent of his passes in 2017, with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He transferred to Nebraska after three years at Tulane. Jaguars offensive assistant Eric Price served as Tulane’s offensive coordinator during Lee’s time on campus.

”We know the kid very well, his makeup, his intelligence, his drive, his attitude,” Caldwell said. ”He’s going to fit in well with Blake and Cody and that quarterback room. He’s an accurate passer when he has time like most of them. He was under a lot of duress this year at Nebraska. We feel like he can come in and he’s got a high ceiling because of the arm strength at the accuracy and the quick release.”

STILL NEEDED: The one position the Jaguars failed to address in the draft was tight end. They parted ways with veteran Marcedes Lewis in March Seahawks Michael Dickson Jersey , leaving them to rely on Austin Seferian-Jenkins in 2018.

—

鈥?Case Keenum is joining his fifth team in five years and the Denver Broncos are turning to their fifth quarterback since Peyton Manning retired 24 months ago.General manager John Elway called Keenum “a great fit for us” after the sixth-year pro parlayed a breakout year in Minnesota into a two-year, $36 million deal with Denver.“Along with that experience,” Elway said, “his leadership and competitiveness are what you look for in a quarterback.”Elway, by the way, isn’t done looking at quarterbacks.Elway and coach Vance Joseph were in Norman, Oklahoma, checking out Baker Mayfield’s pro day when free agency opened Wednesday. Then they were headed for Los Angeles to watch Josh Rosen’s pro day at UCLA on Thursday.Also, a person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press the Broncos were in negotiations Wednesday to trade QB Trevor Siemian to Minnesota, where the Vikings are pursuing free agent Kirk Cousins to be their starter.The Broncos were busy when free agency opened, keeping linebacker Todd Davis (three years, $15 million); adding cornerback Tramaine Brock (one year, $4 million); finalizing Aqib Talib’s trade to the Los Angeles Rams; and trying to move Siemian, who won the starting QB job in Denver each of the last two years.Keenum is expected to sign his deal Thursday, giving the 30-year-old journeyman the big payday that’s long eluded him and taking the pressure off Elway to use the fifth overall pick in the draft next month on a quarterback.It’s no guarantee Tony Romo Jersey , however, that Elway won’t still use that pick on a QB.Besides Mayfield and Rosen, other high-profile fixes for franchises with quarterback quandaries such as Denver’s include Wyoming’s Josh Allen, USC’s Sam Darnold, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph.Coming off a career-changing season, Keenum was widely considered the second-most attractive veteran QB on the market behind Cousins. And he is a player the Broncos know well because Gary Kubiak, now the Broncos’ senior personnel adviser, had him for two seasons while Kubiak was head coach of the Houston Texans.“Case is perfect for our team, both as a player and as a person,” said Joseph, who also worked for the Texans. “He’s playing the best football of his career right now and has gotten better with every opportunity he’s had. Being around him in Houston, Case is a tremendous person and teammate with strong leadership skills and a terrific work ethic. He’ll be great in our locker room.”Keenum, who made $2 million last year, went 11-3 in place of an injured Sam Bradford, leading the Vikings to the NFC championship game.He threw for more than 3 Tanner Lee Color Rush Jersey ,500 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His signature moment was that last-second 61-yard touchdown toss to Stefon Diggs that stunned the Saints 29-24 in the playoffs.The Broncos haven’t been back to the playoffs since Manning retired following Denver’s 24-10 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 two years ago.They’ve cycled through Mark Sanchez, Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch, while going a combined 14-18.The Broncos, coming off a 5-11 season, were considered an early front-runner to land Cousins. Minnesota, however, had a sparkling stadium, new state-of-the-art training facility, stacked roster and coaching stability to offer him, while the Broncos’ main magnet was Von Miller.Even though he issued a public plea for Cousins to join him in Denver, Miller is welcoming Keenum to town .“Looks/Feels right to me!” Miller said in an Instagram post on Tuesday. “We got what we were looking for! Franchise QB that’s the perfect fit for DENVER! johnelway with the deep 3 pointer! Like always! Leeettttss Goooo!!! casekeenum7 casekeenum7 Time for me to hold up my end of the deal now!”Notes: The Broncos placed second-round tenders on two restricted free agents: C Matt Paradis and OLB Shaq Barrett. They declined to offer a tender to WR Bennie Fowler III..