Jacksonville passes on a defensive end to draft Reggie Williams.
By Associated Press
Published April 25, 2004
JACKSONVILLE - The Jaguars filled their most pressing need Saturday, drafting Washington wide receiver Reggie Williams with the ninth pick of the first round to complement, and maybe someday replace, Jimmy Smith.
The Jaguars took a notable pass on Kenechi Udeze, a Southern Cal defensive end who may not be able to play next season because of a shoulder injury. The Vikings chose Udeze at No. 20.
Williams was largely considered to go 12th or below. The Jaguars explored trading down, but coach Jack Del Rio and personnel director James Harris didn't want to leave it to chance.
"We were never willing to risk Reggie Williams if it hadn't been something enticing," Harris said.
Jacksonville spent 2002 and 2003 trying to find a replacement for Keenan McCardell, whose departure to the Bucs broke up one of the league's top tandems.
The Jaguars tried matching Smith with Bobby Shaw, Patrick Johnson, Matthew Hatchette, Sean Dawkins, Kevin Johnson and Troy Edwards but none came close to McCardell. Kevin Johnson and Edwards are still under contract.
The Jaguars liked Williams' size (6 feet 3, 223 pounds) and his ability to make big plays. He had four touchdowns of 70-plus yards for the Huskies and clearly, the Jaguars need more playmakers to help out Byron Leftwich.
Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave compared him to Herman Moore, the Lions' all-time leading receiver.
"He's a big sucker," Musgrave said. "As a quarterback, you like targets like that. He's physical. Tough."
The Jaguars may get some flak for taking him early, although the decision looked better once the first round was over and seven wideouts were gone.
"It was our thought that none of the seven would be there in the second round, and we were accurate," Del Rio said.
In the second, they took Daryl Smith, a linebacker from Georgia Tech. They also traded one of their two third-rounders and a fourth-rounder to Green Bay to get another second-round pick, with which they took Florida State running back Greg Jones. That move was a surprise considering they have former Gator Fred Taylor.
The Jaguars then traded their other third-round pick - the one they got from Washington for Mark Brunell - to Green Bay for another pick, later in the third round, and a fourth-rounder. They used that third-rounder on Nevada linebacker Jorge Cordova.
Jacksonville still needs help at defensive end. Harris acknowledged there was some concern about Udeze's shoulder, though it wasn't the primary reason for not taking him.
"When it all came down to it, we felt the best player for us was Reggie Williams," Harris said.
