The Jaguars took a pair of wide receivers in Round Two on Friday night, selecting USC’s Marqise Lee at No. 39 and trading back into the back half of the round to draft Penn State’s Allen Robinson at No. 61.
This was the earliest the Jaguars had drafted a receiver since 2012, when they took Justin Blackmon with the No. 5 overall pick. However, Blackmon’s NFL career is on hold as he serves an indefinite suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, have had to go about the business of building a capable receiving corps. According to G.M. David Caldwell, the club had Lee and Robinson rated rated “neck and neck” and didn’t anticipate having a shot at both. But when Robinson was still on the board later in the round, the Jaguars packaged third- and fifth-round choices for the 49ers’ second-round selection to add their second receiver in 22 picks.
Asked about Blackmon on Friday night, Caldwell again indicated the former Oklahoma State star was not expected to be on the club in 2014, saying the team had “moved on for this year.”
Coach Gus Bradley also sounded less than optimistic on Blackmon’s availability.
“Well, we haven’t heard much, and it doesn’t sound like it’s going in the right direction,” Bradley said of Blackmon, who must apply to be reinstated to the NFL.
Were Blackmon reinstated, the Jaguars would have to decide whether to add him to the roster — a roster that’s quite a bit deeper now at receiver out of necessity.