James Sample to the Jacksonville Jaguars: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

With the 104th overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected James Sample. After trading back one spot with the New York Jets which also included a seventh-round selection, the Jaguars addressed their need at safety with Sample.

Sample played strong safety for the majority of his Louisville career, but he's able to play free safety also, which the Jaguars must like a lot. Considering neither safety position was a strong point for the Jaguars last season, Sample could be a good solution.

The 6'2", 209-pound safety only played one full season in his college football career but played very well. He totaled 74 tackles for the Cardinals and had an impressive four interceptions.

These stats help show Sample's aggressive demeanor and his fantastic ball skills. Whether the ball is in the air or the ball-carrier is running near by, Sample is great at closing down and making big plays.

The only real major issue with Sample is his coverage skills. He's not the best at reading quarterbacks and receivers in coverage, and he'll definitely have to work on that part of his game to be a consistent starter for the Jaguars. 

Sample initially went to the University of Washington but never really made an impact on the roster and transferred to American River Junior College. After a year there, he went to Louisville and was a starter in Week 1.

Sample is hard-working and tenacious, evidenced by his college career path. After injury and depth got in his way at Washington, he basically rebuilt his career by going to junior college to prove his worth, which he did.

Sample's impact will depend on where the Jaguars plan to play him. If they want to groom him for the free safety spot, he could start in Week 1 if he shows enough progress. If they plan to use him as a backup strong safety, then it might put some pressure on current starting strong safety Johnathan Cyprien.

I think the thing that will help Sample the most though is the fact that the Jaguars have Cyprien and Sergio Brown to help him. Cyprien's younger, but he's been a leader for this team, and Brown has experience that Sample can learn a lot from.

Overall, I think Jaguars fans can see him playing a good bit of special teams with some reps at free safety and strong safety this upcoming season. The Jaguars will feel him out and figure out where he can work best for them.

Addressing the draft sense of the pick, this selection was a very good one. Trading back with the Jets to get an extra seventh-round pick for basically nothing was great, and they needed to address the position as well. 

This was a really smart pick for the Jaguars. They have concerns for both safety spots, and he can play both of them. Within a year or two, I expect him to be a direct competitor for a starting spot, most likely free safety.

Overall Grade: B+

What do y'all think? Is Sample an upgrade or just an overall smart investment? State your opinions in the comments and vote in the poll!

All stats were provided by ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.

Evan Reier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the Jacksonville Jaguars. Follow Evan on Twitter at @evanreier.