Jaguars Mailbag: What Will Maason Smith's Rookie Role Look Like?

In this week's mailbag we take questions on Maason Smith, Cam Robinson and Walker Little, and more.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson (98) and defensive tackle Maason Smith (94) face off during drills as defensive end Tyler Lacy (93) looks on. The Jacksonville Jaguars let most of the veterans off from participating in Monday's mandatory minicamp session held in the air conditioned enclosed field at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. June 10, 2024. / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY

Throughout the offseason, we will be taking questions on the biggest questions facing the Jacksonville Jaguars.

You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the Jaguars On SI Twitter handle or by submitting them here.

This week we take questions on Cam Robinson and Walker Little, Maason Smith and more.

Q: What should Maason Smith’s role be this year?

A: Rotational defensive tackle. Smith was a true futures pick, and the expectation should be for the Jaguars to not get the best out of him for a few more years. Smith should still play as a rookie, giving Arik Armstead and Roy Robertson-Harris rest at the three-technique position throughout the season. Smith is unlikely to start any games unless there are injuries, but he should be expected to play a few drives a game. For his trajectory, that is more than fine.

I can understand this may cause some angst from fans to hear that another top pick is set to be a backup deep on the depth chart as a rookie, but this really is the best-case scenario for Smith considering how much time he missed in college. He needs the year to develop. Look for a bigger role for him in 2025.

Q: How much improved do you think the running attack will be with only a change at center?

A: This is one of the biggest questions of the entire season. The Jaguars have made other changes such as schematic tweaks and a bigger emphasis on three-point stances as opposed to two-point stances, but the biggest change to the running game is swapping out Luke Fortner for Mitch Morse. Most advanced data suggests Morse is a significant upgrade from Fortner as a run-blocker, but the Jaguars had more issues than just Fortner in the running game last year.

From the tackles to the guards to the tight ends and even to the receivers, the Jaguars' entire offensive roster had their fingerprints over the Jaguars' running game issues. Fortner was maybe the top flaw for the unit, but he was from the only one. 2024 will prove that theory right or wrong.

Q: Do you think double digit TDs is out of the range of outcomes for Brian Thomas Jr?

A: I have learned to say nothing is ever out of the range of outcomes for most players, but I would be surprised if that happens in 2024. The Jaguars will direct the flow of their passing game through Christian Kirk and Evan Engram for the third year in a row, and conventional wisdom says veteran receiver Gabe Davis will be ready for a larger role before Thomas is. I think Thomas makes an impact, but I don't see 10+ touchdowns this year.

Q: Obviously we’re going to see more attempts to stretch the field this year with the additions of Davis and Thomas Jr. — but just how different should we expect the offense to be? Will it still more or less be pederson’s west coastish offense or should we expect a more dramatic shift to a vertical one? Would love to see a lot more moon balls a lot more often this year. Lawrence is good at them!

A: I don't think there will be any great shift from what we have seen in the past. I think the Jaguars' offensive staff largely places last year's offensive issues on execution as opposed to scheme or play-calling, so I don't think the Jaguars are set to completely overhaul their offense. With that said, I do think you see them push the ball downfield more consistently now that Lawrence has two targets on the outside who can win vertically. The Jaguars' offense won't do a 180, but there could be some marginal differences.

Q: If you had to say, what do you predict Brian Thomas’ stat line to look like in 2024?

A: I have been asked this a few times and want to apologize for not having the answer written down to remain consistent. I feel like 800 yards, 55 catches and five touchdowns makes sense. I like Thomas' fit with Trevor Lawrence a lot, but I also think he will be fourth in targets and fifth in touces on the offense.

Q: I understand that 3-4 and 4-3 principles are somewhat the same for DE’s but I found it interesting that Bill Shuey was retained as OLB coach. Is he coaching the DEs as well at the outside linebackers? Do you see any issues now that this team is a 4-3 with the coaching position alignment?

A: No I don't. He is coaching the edge rushers, which can still be called outside linebackers in a 4-3 because that is just semantics and their role doesn't really change. For what it is worth, the only player on the 90-man roster who is even listed as a defensive end is seventh-round rookie Myles Cole. Bill Shuey will still be coaching the Jaguars' pass-rushers, with the only difference really being that they may rush from more three-point stances. The biggest difference between this front and last year's is the fact that there are only two interior defensive linemen as opposed to three.

Q: In your opinion, who would have more value on the open market Cam or Walker?

A: This is a great question. There are arguments to make for and against each player that would have an impact. Cam Robinson is more experienced with 87 career starts vs. Little's 19, while Robinson has also been in the NFL for four more seasons than Little has. Robinson has been the Jaguars' pick to start at left tackle over Little for each of the last three years. On the flip side, Robinson will be four years older than Little at the end of the season and will turn 30 in 2025. He has also had injury issues throughout his career and missed four games due to suspension last year.

As for Little, he is younger than Robinson and will be 26 during the 2025 season. With only 19 starts under his belt, there is reason to believe his flashes could translate to week in and week out play. Little is also a recent top-50 pick and former mega-recruit, so there is a chance he could have his fair share of pre-NFL fans out there. With that said, Little's relative inexperience compared to other top tackles is a legitimate red flag, as is the fact that he hasn't won a Week 1 starting job in his Jaguars career.

To answer your question, I think Little gets the slight edge. It is close, though.

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