Most Jaguars fans could at least agree that the two drafts done by Gene Smith as general manager were relatively successful, some would go would farther that. Through two drafts the Jaguars have come away with two starting offensive tackles, two starting defensive tackles, a starting cornerback, a starting receiver, two backup receivers, two backup running backs, a backup tight end and two backup defensive ends. Not a bad haul so far.

It's safe to say that Smith isn't in the hot seat and his job is safe. However, it is very likely that the draft set to begin in two days will be a very defining one during his time as general manager and I'd go so far as to say it's the most important draft of his career.

I participated in a mock draft among various fans and student journalists that one of my fellow classmates organized. They had no place to publish the draft so I put it on an old blog of mine that is no longer in use.

Check the draft here.

I made the Jaguars pick this morning.

The draft is ongoing, so check back for more updates.

Read more for my analysis of the draft thus far, and for the Jaguars pick.

Over the last week I collaborated with Justin Wendel and BigCatCountry's Brad Hill and participated in a week long mock draft called #MockThree. The idea was that each team would have a "war room" of sorts consisting of about three people that are well-versed in the ways of their team and are knowledgable about the draft. The draft would then take place on Twitter with each team working together to make their selection or get in contact with the representatives of other teams and make a trade.

In the days prior to the draft, we in the Jaguars war room worked together to create a full draft board, ranking 233 players because the Jaguars can't acquire a compensatory pick beyond 233.

CLICK TO SEE THE JAGUARS #MOCKTHREE DRAFT BOARD

Federal Judge Susan Richard Nelson has issued a ruling in favor of the players lifting the lockout.

Nelson stated in her ruling that the plantiffs (the players) "have made a strong showing that allowing the League to continue their 'lockout' is presently inflicting, and will continue to inflict, irreparable harm upon them, particularly when weighed against the lack of any real injury that would be imposed on the NFL by issuing the preliminary injunction."

Before you go dancing naked through the streets realize that this isn't over and that the legal jargon is far from over. The NFL is now seeking a stay with an immediate appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. If the NFL loses their appeal, the league would be forced to put rules in place allowing the doors to open for players and scheduling the beginning of free agency. If the NFL wins, the lockout will continue and the players will be put in a bad position with very little remaining legal leverage.

The league is very confident in their case saying, "We believe that federal law bars injunctions in labor disputes. We are confident that the Eighth Circuit will agree." ESPN's legal expert Roger Cossack doesn't believe the NFL should be so confident saying that in most cases appeal courts rule in favor of the judges.

For the fan that's looking for football in the fall, this is all good news, but not the end of the road. It's a step in the right direction, though.

The NFL released the 2011 schedule on Tuesday and surprised some with their choices for primetime games. The Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars highlight a few of the nonplayoff teams that will have the opportunity to play on national television on Monday nights. Perhaps none more so than the Jaguars that will have two home Monday night games and a Thursday game all in the latter half of the season.

Why would the NFL line up three primetime, nationally televised games for a team that finished 8-8 in 2010 and has just one playoff victory in the last decade? Maybe it's because the league is attempting to help the franchise to sell tickets by increasing the demand for high quality games or maybe it's because the league is expecting more from the Jaguars.

From those that meticulously study the draft to those that casually check out the names of the players that their favorite team selected, every fan has some favorite players that they hope wear their team's colors in the fall. Sometimes that can result in a lot of excitement on the off chance that the player they have in mind goes to their team instead of the other 31. More often than not, falling in love with one player ends with them going elsewhere.

For myself, I have tried not to pick a particular player that I want in teal for 2011 because 2009 and 2010 didn't go as planned. In 2009 BYU wide receiver Austin Collie was a player I felt could be a great playmaker for the receiver needy Jaguars, but he instead went to the division rival Colts. In 2010, UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner was the one player I wanted and again a division rival snapped him up, this time the Titans.

So for 2011 I have instead decided to have a list of potential players that I like and I feel would positively benefit the Jaguars.

The schedule was released April 19 and what has many fans buzzing is a bye week right smack in the middle of the schedule. The Week 9 bye comes in the middle of a three game road trip and in between two key AFC South games, but we will address that shortly.

The real excitement comes in the three primetime games the Jaguars have scheduled, two of which are on Monday night and in Everbank Field. The third is a Thursday Night away game in Atlanta.

Now, not only do the Jaguars have these primetime games, but they also have the first half of the season loaded with playoff caliber teams. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Jacksonville could stumble into the bye with a 4-4 record. But there is a benefit to the stacked first half of the schedule, there is only two games against divisional foes.