NFL Draft results 2015: Jaguars take Dante Fowler, Jr. with No. 3 pick

With the third pick in the draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Dante Fowler, Jr., and affect the nature of the rest of the draft with their selection.

At the third position in the draft and with a great deal of holes, the Jaguars had a lot of options to work with. In particular they have needs on defense and at wide receiver, and with Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler and Amari Cooper all having a good chance of being available to them at the third pick, the pick that they make will be key to how the rest of the first round will play out.

More from Jacksonville Jaguars

With both quarterbacks off of the board with the first two picks, the rest of the draft becomes a wide open expanse.

Dante Fowler gives the Jaguars a key pass rusher who doesn’t lose anything in run defense. Although on some teams Fowler would be an outside linebacker, Fowler would likely play as a defensive end in Gus Bradley and the Jaguars’ 4-3 defensive scheme.

Fowler brings a flurry of defensive moves to the end position, with an eclectic collection of rips, spins and bull rush plays. It helps that he plays with great leverage, and throws the opponents defenses off balance. He is fantastic in pursuit, and will provide his new team with splash plays all day. Fowler eventually emerged as the best edge rusher after Randy Gregory and Shane Ray each made poor decisions leading up to the draft, and Vic Beasley and Bud Dupree revealed some holes in their game.

For the Raiders, this means that Leonard Williams falls into their laps at the fourth pick. They need help along the defensive line, and so it makes sense for them to take this player. With that being said, the Raiders also have the possibility of taking a wide receiver, possibly Alabama’s Amari Cooper.

More from Jacksonville Jaguars

Home/Jacksonville Jaguars