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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Now that the Jacksonville Jaguars have reached the midpoint of the 2016 season, it’s time to take a look at the rookie class: CB Jalen Ramsey Round: First (fifth overall) Linebacker Paul Posluszny is in his 10th season, so he’s seen a lot of rookies. But none have impressed him as much as Ramsey. He said Ramsey’s knowledge of the game, how quickly he absorbs information and uses it and his ability to play multiple positions is off the charts. Add to that his size, speed, toughness, length and physicality and Ramsey comes across as a veteran player and not a guy who’s only halfway through his first season. The fact that the Jaguars are already putting Ramsey on the opponent’s No. 1 receiver and not giving him help over the top shows how much confidence they have in him. Has he played perfectly? No, but he’s shown he’s going to be an elite player in the league for a long time. Grade: A-plus LB Myles Jack Round: Second (36th overall) Jack was expected to make a bigger impact than he has, especially because he’s had no issues with his surgically-repaired knee at all. He missed all of OTAs because of the graduation rule and started training camp behind. The Jaguars started him out at second-team middle linebacker behind Posluszny so he could learn the entire defense. The plan was for him to get on the field on third downs, but Posluszny played so well in camp and the preseason that the Jaguars decided to move Jack to weakside linebacker. But he couldn’t get on the field there, either, because Telvin Smith is playing the best football of his career. So the Jaguars moved Jack to Otto (strongside) linebacker. That position isn’t on the field much because the Jaguars are in nickel more than half the time, so Jack is getting minimal reps on defense. He’s playing a lot on special teams, though. Grade: D DE Yannick Ngakoue Round: Third (69th overall) The Jaguars' plan for Ngakoue was to be a third-down pass-rusher. They were surprised at how well he played the run on first and second down during the preseason, so they started rotating him with Dante Fowler Jr., the team’s first-round pick in 2015. Ngakoue took over as the starter in Week 2 and has out-performed Fowler -- who missed his rookie season with a torn ACL -- for much of the season. Ngakoue leads the Jaguars with four sacks, nine quarterback hits and three forced fumbles. He also has one of the Jaguars’ three interceptions (off a deflected pass by Fowler). He has hit a plateau lately (no sacks in his last three games after having a sack in three consecutive games) and needs to learn another pass-rush more or two, but he has outperformed expectations. Grade: A DT Sheldon Day Round: Fourth (103rd overall) It was going to be tough for Day to get much playing time behind Malik Jackson and Sen’Derrick Marks, but Day has been able to get some snaps. The Jaguars really like him and envision him eventually moving up to be Jackson’s top backup at the three-technique tackle spot in a year or two. He has good quickness and power despite being a bit undersized (he’s listed at 293 pounds). Grade: C DE Tyrone Holmes Round: Sixth (181st overall) The Jaguars believed Holmes had potential and would have liked to have kept him as a developmental player but went with Chris Smith instead. GM Dave Caldwell had hoped Holmes would clear waivers after the final training camp cuts so the team could sign him to the practice squad, but Cleveland claimed Holmes. He has played in eight games for the Browns and has one sack. Grade: F QB Brandon Allen Round: Sixth (201st overall) The Jaguars really liked Allen at the Senior Bowl and raved about his football IQ. One of the most impressive things about him in OTAs and camps was his accuracy, and the Jaguars liked him so much that they didn’t want to risk losing him on waivers, so they kept him as the third quarterback. He’s been inactive all season but will be the eventual replacement to Chad Henne as Blake Bortles’ top backup, likely as early as 2017. Grade: C DE Jonathan Woodard Round: Seventh (226th overall) Woodard suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the Jaguars’ offseason conditioning program and is on injured reserve. He’s going to be in the mix for the big end spot next season. Grade: Incomplete
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