Gene Frenette: For first-round draft picks, Jaguars overwhelmingly favor SEC players

Anybody trying to pinpoint where the Jaguars might go with the No. 24 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, it’s a good bet that player could come from the Southeastern Conference.

Why? Because history dictates that’s where the franchise often looks for its top picks. The Jaguars have made 33 first-round selections since coming into the league in 1995 and 16 came from the SEC, easily the highest total of any NFL franchise.

The next highest SEC-leaning teams over that 28-year span are the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos with 11 first-round picks apiece, then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 10.

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Whether Jaguars’ GM Trent Baalke continues that trend is debatable. But given the team’s biggest needs of edge rusher, cornerback and offensive line – and the abundance of SEC first-round talent at those positions – there’s a good chance the Jaguars could again tap into college football’s best conference for its top pick.

Over the last six years, including Travon Walker (Georgia) with the No. 1 overall pick in 2022, the Jaguars have taken six SEC players out of eight first-round selections.

Among the best SEC prospects that could interest the Jaguars at 24, though some might be off the board, are Alabama CB/S Brian Branch, Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith, LSU edge BJ Ojulari, Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes, Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright, Georgia tackle Broderick Jones and Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence.

On the opposite spectrum from their tendency to grab SEC players in the first round, the Jaguars have surprisingly avoided prospects from what many consider the next-best conference, the Big Ten.

The Jaguars have selected only one first-rounder from the Big Ten, Illinois linebacker Kevin Hardy in 1996, in their history. Only five Big Ten players (Ohio State NT DaVon Hamilton, Illinois DE Dawuane Smoot, Maryland DE Yannick Ngakoue, Penn State WR Allen Robinson and Wisconsin CB Scott Starks) were taken in the top three rounds over the last 20 years.

Maybe the Jaguars end the Big Ten first-round drought by taking cornerbacks Deonte Banks (Maryland) or Joey Porter (Penn State). But looking at the top of most draft boards, the SEC depth may be too good for the Jaguars to pass up.

In all-time NFL drafts, the two best picks in the 24^th slot are Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed (Baltimore Ravens, 2002) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers, 2005).

Tiger presence boon for Champions

In a somewhat surprising revelation at his Masters press conference, Tiger Woods gave the strongest hint yet Tuesday that he plans on playing the Champions Tour because he can get transported in a “little buggy.”

Woods, eligible for the 50-and-over circuit in 2026, would be a huge attraction for the Champions that gets limited audiences except at the Senior U.S. Open and a couple select majors.

It’s doubtful Woods with all his physical impairments plays more than 5-8 Champions events per year, if that many. That’s pretty much what Jack Nicklaus did back in the 1990s when he won a then record eight career senior majors, a mark now held by Bernhard Langer with 11.

Even with Tiger in his 50s, golf fans would rejoice at the opportunity to watch him play at any event. His presence would likely be the biggest positive bump for the Champions, both financially and for television ratings, in its 43-year history.

Masters trivia

What is the best final-round score by a Masters champion and who was the multiple winner that pulled it off? Answer at the bottom.

Waiting on Giants’ call-up

It’s possible this season that two Jacksonville-area products could be roaming the outfield for the San Francisco Giants, or at least be together in the starting lineup.

Sandalwood High product Brett Wisely, acquired by the Giants in a trade with the Tampa Rays, hit a couple home runs in seven spring training games, but was sent to Triple-A Sacramento to start the season. However, his athleticism could eventually allow him to see time for San Francisco in the outfield as well as middle infield.

Bolles School graduate Austin Slater (currently sidelined by wrist injury) is already a long-time fixture at every outfield position, usually against left-handed pitchers and as a late-game defensive replacement. It might not be long before San Francisco manager and former Jacksonville Suns star Gabe Kapler pencils Wisely and Slater together into the lineup.

FSU baseball hitting rock bottom

For the first time in the 59-year history of Florida State baseball, the Seminoles (13-16) are flirting with a losing season in coach Link Jarrett’s first year. It’s unthinkable that a program of FSU’s caliber could have a 10-game losing streak, which it snapped Thursday with a 5-1 win over Clemson.

The ‘Noles were outscored by a whopping 83-29 margin during the slide, which coincided with the toughest part of their schedule (nine losses were against Top 25 teams). Except for ace Jackson Baumeister from The Bolles School, who struck out 14 against Clemson, the FSU pitching staff is giving up too many home runs (30) and walks (5.3 per game) and has a frightening ERA of 5.37.

While FSU is only halfway through its schedule, Jarrett’s biggest challenge may be restoring his players’ confidence. A losing season, not to mention ending a 44-year streak of going to an NCAA regional, would be a huge blow for such an elite program.

Trash-talk went too far

There’s been a lot of social media and public chatter about the trash-talk element at the women’s NCAA Final Four. The discord escalated when LSU star Angel Reese, who is Black, mocked white Iowa star Caitlin Clark by repeatedly waving her hand in front of her face, as well as pointing to her ring finger, when the Tigers closed out a 102-85 victory in the national championship game.

Reese’s “you can’t see me” gesture made famous by John Cena, as Clark did briefly to Louisville in the handshake line at a previous tournament game, became a more polarizing topic when Reese and social media defended her behavior, saying it was part of the game. Without any prompting at a press conference, Reese added she was “too ghetto” for her critics.

Two days after the game, Clark took the high road. She tried to defuse the controversy and the underlying racial overtones by profusely complimenting LSU and coach Kim Mulkey for their victory, adding she didn’t notice Reese taunting her in the closing minute of the title game.

Whether Clark noticed it or not, the bottom line is Reese went too far with her prolonged taunting. She richly deserved being named the Final Four most outstanding player, but trying to rub it in an opponent’s face for as long as she did on the game’s biggest stage was a bad look that slightly diminished LSU’s historic offensive performance.

Quick-hitting nuggets

Sergio Garcia took exception to a media inquiry Thursday about whether it felt normal to return to Augusta National, the obvious implication being that him joining LIV would possibly make things uncomfortable.

Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, told the media corps that “you guys need to stop it. You guys are making a big deal out of this, and it’s you guys.”

There’s definitely some truth in Garcia’s response. The LIV-PGA Tour divide is a legitimate story, but it’s also reaching a saturation point. This is the Masters, and regardless of who wins it, the on-course competition should be the bigger media priority.

One overlooked play in Florida Atlantic’s 72-71 NCAA basketball semifinal loss to San Diego State was a horrific foul call on a clean block by Owls’ center Vladislav Goldin with 4:43 remaining, which ended up giving the Aztecs three points to tie the game 65-65.

It was an easy judgment call and normally stoic FAU coach Dusty May voiced his displeasure to the officials. That whistle proved costly when Lamont Butler hit the buzzer-beating jumper, giving SDSU its only lead in the game’s last 27 minutes.

A recent USA TODAY story revealed that seven of the top spending football programs in recruiting last year were current or future SEC members, led by Georgia at $4.5 million, followed by Clemson ($3.2 million), Texas A&M ($3.0 million), Tennessee ($2.9 million), Oklahoma ($2.6 million), Texas ($2.4 million), Alabama ($2.3 million), Michigan ($2.2 million), Oregon ($1.8 million and Florida ($1.6 million).

It was money well spent for Georgia as the Bulldogs won a second consecutive national championship under coach Kirby Smart. Not so much for Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Florida, all of whom suffered through losing seasons.

Masters trivia answer

In 1978, Gary Player won his third Masters green jacket by shooting 64 on Sunday, overcoming a seven-stroke deficit to  beat Tom Watson, Hubert Green and Rod Funseth by one shot.

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: With 24th pick in NFL draft, numbers suggest Jaguars will look to SEC