10 questions with Eugene Monroe

Here is a link to a story Jaguars first-round pick Eugene Monroe did with nflplayers.com prior to the draft.

http://www.nflplayers.com/user/content.aspx?fmid=178&lmid=443&pid=3145

Thomas hosts charity event in DeLand

Jaguars offensive lineman Tra Thomas hosted a special event last weekend in DeLand, Florida.  Check out photos from the event.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/orl-eagles-jaguars-nfl-charity-031409-photos,0,5094720.photogallery

Quotes on Tra Thomas

Quotes from Eagles president Joe Banner and head coach Andy Reid on offensive tackle Tra Thomas, who signed with Jacksonville today after an 11-year stint as a Philadelphia Eagle:

"On behalf of the entire Eagles organization, I want to thank Tra Thomas for a fantastic 11-year run in Philadelphia," said Eagles president Joe Banner. "It's not often that offensive lineman get much praise and attention for their hard work, leadership and Pro Bowl play. But Tra deserves every ounce of it, and I know that our fans feel equally appreciative for everything he has done for this organization and the Philadelphia community. We will miss him and wish him all the best as he continues his career with the Jaguars."

"Tra has helped this organization win a lot of football games from a very important position on the football field," said head coach Andy Reid. "During his 11 years in this city, he's been nothing but a true professional and leader, both on and off the field. Most importantly, he's a proven winner in the National Football League and will go down as one of the finest offensive tackles in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles. We wish he and his family all of the best in Jacksonville."

Jaguars own six picks in upcoming draft

The tentative seven-round order of the 2009 NFL Draft on April 25-26 was announced yesterday.  The order does not include compensatory selections, which will be awarded to clubs at the bottom of rounds 3-7.  An updated round-by-round summary will be released after the compensatory selections have been determined.

The Jaguars own six picks in the draft; their seventh-round pick was part of a second-round trade with Tampa Bay in 2008.  Here is a look at where the Jaguars are scheduled to draft:

1st round - 8th overall

2nd round - 39th overall

3rd round - 72nd overall

4th round - 7th pick of the round

5th round - 8th pick of the round

6th round - 7th pick of the round

WALKER TO BE HONORED AT UCF GAME

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver and former Central Florida standout Mike Walker will be honored at Wednesday's men's basketball game against Rice.  Walker will sign autographs from 6-7 p.m. in the UCF Arena lobby.  The first 500 fans at the arena will receive a free Walker poster.  Walker will also be honored during halftime of the game.  Tipoff for the UCF-Rice game is set for 7:00 p.m. and fans can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster by calling (407) 839-3900 or by visiting www.UCFAthletics.com. 

Walker was selected in the third round by the Jaguars in 2007 and finished with 16 receptions for 217 yards in 2008.  As a senior at Central Florida, Walker produced a school-record 90 receptions with 1,178 yards and earned first-team All-Conference USA honors.

TOP FIVE DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

With the NFL Combine getting underway this week, here is a breakdown of the top five draft prospects by NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock at each defensive position.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

1. Tyson Jackson, LSU

2. Paul Kruger, Utah

3. Robert Ayers, Tennessee

4. Michael Bennett, Texas A&M

5. Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

1. B.J. Raji, Boston College

2. Peria Jerry, Mississippi

3. Ron Brace, Boston College

4. Fili Moala, Southern California

5. Evander 'Ziggy' Hood, Missouri

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

1. James Laurinaitis, Ohio State

2. Rey Maualuga, Southern California

3. Darry Beckwith, LSU

4. Dannell Ellerbe, Georgia

5. Jason Phillips, Texas Christian

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

1. Aaron Curry, Wake Forest

2. Brian Orakpo, Texas

3. Brian Cushing, Southern California

4. *Aaron Maybin, Penn State

5. Everette Brown, Florida State

SAFETIES

1. Louis Delmas, Western Michigan

2. Rashad Johnson, Alabama

3. Patrick Chung, Oregon

4. William Moore, Missouri

5. Michael Hamlin, Clemson

CORNERBACKS

1. Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State

2. *Vontae Davis, Illinois

3. Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest

4. Darius Butler, Connecticut

5. *D.J. Moore, Vanderbilt

*underclassman

NFL COMBINE UNDERWAY

With the NFL Combine getting underway this week, here is a breakdown of the top five draft prospects by NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock at each offensive position. We will take a look at defense on Thursday.

QUARTERBACKS

1. *Matthew Stafford, Georgia

2. *Mark Sanchez, Southern California

3. *Josh Freeman, Kansas State

4. *Nate Davis, Ball State

5. Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State

RUNNING BACKS

1. *Chris Wells, Ohio State

2. *Knowshon Moreno, Georgia

3. *LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh

4. *Donald Brown, Connecticut

5. *Mike Goodson, Texas A&M

FULLBACK

1. Tony Fiammetta, Syracuse

2. Quinn Johnson, LSU

3. Brannan Southerland, Georgia

WIDE RECEIVERS

1. *Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech

2. *Jeremy Maclin, Missouri

3. *Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland

4. *Percy Harvin, Florida

5. *Kenny Britt, Rutgers

TIGHT ENDS

1. Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State

2. Shawn Nelson, Southern Mississippi

3. Cornelius Ingram, Florida

4. *James Casey, Rice

5. Travis Beckum, Wisconsin

CENTERS

1. Max Unger, Oregon

2. Eric Wood, Louisville

3. Alex Mack, California

4. A.Q. Shipley, Penn State

5. Antoine Caldwell, Alabama

GUARDS

1. Andy Levitre, Oregon State

2. Duke Robinson, Oklahoma

3. Kraig Urbik, Wisconsin

4. Tyronne Green, Auburn

5. Herman Johnson, LSU

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

1. Jason Smith, Baylor

2. Eugene Monroe, Virginia

3. *Andre Smith, Alabama

4. Michael Oher, Mississippi

5. *Eben Britton, Arizona

*underclassman

Combine right around the corner

The NFL Scouting Combine will be held in Indianapolis from February 18-24.  Here is a list of the official invite list: http://www.nflcombine.net/players/official-invite-list

2009 Schedule storylines

• Features four teams that qualified for the 2008 postseason (Indianapolis, Tennessee, Miami, Arizona), all at home.  In addition, the Jaguars will play 10 games against teams that finished .500 or better in 2008.
• The Jaguars face two non-division foes for the second consecutive season in Buffalo and Cleveland.  The Jaguars will travel to Cleveland while the Bills will make their second straight trip to Jacksonville.  The Jaguars and Bills will meet for the third consecutive season and the fifth time in the last six seasons.
• The Jaguars will travel to San Francisco for the first time.  The Jaguars own a 2-0 record against the 49ers with home wins in 1999 and 2005.
• The Jaguars will play New England for the fifth time in seven seasons under head coach Jack Del Rio including postseason games. 
• St. Louis will visit Jacksonville for the first time.  The Rams are the only NFL team to never play a regular season game in Jacksonville.
• The Jaguars will play two games on the West Coast for the first time since 2004 as they travel to San Francisco and Seattle.  The Jaguars finished 1-1 in 2004 with a 34-21 loss at San Diego and a 13-6 win in the regular season finale at Oakland.

Special Visitors

The Jaguars have had some special visitors in the building this week.

Check out the story.

http://www.leedsrugby.com/