Everyone loves a good draft bust, and through three seasons Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey has been one. The eighth overall pick in the 2008 draft, Harvey has eight career sacks in 47 games, and lost his starting job to fifth-round rookie Austen Lane last year.
Jaguars G.M. Gene Smith didn’t draft Harvey. (It was Smith’s predecessor, Shack Harris.) So Smith isn’t afraid to admit that Harvey’s been a bust.
“He was a high draft choice and he has had a lot of starts for us,” Smith said of Harvey, per Jaguars.com. “He’s still young. You hope at some point he’s going to be able to make a move. He did not make that last year during the season. We had some guys earn the opportunity to play over him.”
In the 2008 draft, the Jaguars traded up with the Ravens to select Harvey. Jacksonville gave up the 26th overall pick, two third-rounders, and a future fourth-rounder to move into the top ten. In addition to the valuable picks, the Jaguars committed a five-year, $23.8 million rookie contract to Harvey. 72 percent of that deal was guaranteed.
The Ravens used the picks they got to move back up for franchise quarterback Joe Flacco at No. 18. The Jaguars just now got around to drafting their alleged franchise quarterback, and that move required another trade up.
Harvey is lost in the shuffle on the Jaguars’ depth chart, so it’s fair to wonder if the team might place him on the trade block when the lockout ends. They may be able to salvage a late-round pick for him.