In our annual 32 picks in 32 days CSNPhilly.com mock draft, we select one player each day until the start of the NFL draft on April 26.
7. Jaguars: Riley Reiff, T, Iowa, 6-6313
The Blaine Gabbert era didnt get off to a fabulous start for a franchise in flux. Gabbert was handed the reins early, looked skittish and played poorly enough to put doubts into his worth as a high draft choice. Long time head coach Jack Del Rio is gone. The front office made a play for hometown boy Tim Tebow but saw his flight plans directed to New York. Gabbert remains, and now it is new head coach Mike Mularkeys job to make something of the pieces Jacksonville has in place.
Time is what Gabbert needs. Time to develop for the long term, and time in the pocket right now. To tackle the latter, Jacksonville can tab a top-10 protector in Iowas Riley Reiff, who can play right tackle and should eventually make the transition to the blind slide. The 6-foot-6, 313-pounder can move pretty well with all that size. Hes a smart lineman, coming from a program with a great tradition of developing NFL talent in the trenches. Not an elite athlete, the All-Big Ten performer simply gets the job done.
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Iowa saw bigger things for Reiff, who started out as a defensive end. After redshirting as a true freshman, he established himself as a mainstay on the Hawkeye line quickly. By the end of his redshirt freshman season, he had already transitioned from a capable guard to starting at right tackle in a BCS Bowl game. The durable South Dakotan played in every game during his college career and started all but two. A former three-time state wrestling champion, Reiff is a brawler who battles to the whistle. Aspects he can improve are his overall strength and the use of his arms to be more aggressive.
Reiff would upgrade the run game as well as the air attack. More successful touches for Maurice Jones-Drew means more time for Gabbert. And for this young quarterback, every second counts.
Rob Michel is a producer at Comcast SportsNet. E-mail him at rmichel@comcastsportsnet.com.