Jaguars general manager Gene Smith is always searching for the best value he can get in the draft, and I think this year the Jaguars can afford to move out of the top 10 and still be able to select one of the prospects that they are targeting.

If you look at the Jaguars biggest needs this off-season, the most glaring weak spot on their roster is at wide receiver. However, I do not believe that there is a wide receiver in this draft class worth the seventh overall pick. Jaguars fans have had dreams of seeing Justin Blackmon in Jacksonville next season, but most draft experts expect him to tumble down draft boards after he runs his 40-yard dash. Someone will ultimately select Blackmon in the top 10, but he is more of a sure-handed possession receiver who relies on his ability to run after the catch to make an impact.

There are other first round wide receiver prospects that have better speed and home run ability than Blackmon possesses. One of the prospects that the Jaguars could move down and select is Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright. There are rumors that Wright has already passed Blackmon on some teams draft boards.

Sure, the Jaguars could stay put at seven and select Wright, but they could move down 10 or so spots in the first round and still be able to select him. A move that drastic could net the Jaguars another second round pick to help try and address their other needs like defensive end and cornerback.

According to Tania Ganguli of The Florida Times-Union, the Jaguars have begun preliminary negotiations with their kicker Josh Scobee to reach a new long-term contract to stay in Jacksonville.

Scobee may be the Jaguars top priority of their own free agents this off-season after losing punter Adam Podlesh last August to the Chicago Bears. Podlesh’s departure left a massive hole in the Jaguars special teams as they failed to get the production out of that position that they had received in previous years. Losing Scobee would have a similar negative impact on the Jaguars special teams.

If the Jaguars cannot get a new contract with Scobee done before the end of February, they could use the franchise tag on him. A franchise tag contract for a kicker would be about $2.65 million.

In the end, it seems that seeing Scobee in a different jersey next season seems extremely unlikely.

I do not think they are so desperate that they will be making any phone calls to the recently un-retired wide receiver Randy Moss.

The free agent wide receiver class that is available this off-season is full of talented guys who are entering the prime of their careers and could be a big part of the Jaguars offense for the next five seasons. Moss, who is now 35-years-old, is entering the twilight of his career.

Even if Moss is capable of being the deep threat that he was before he took last season off, he is not worth the potential headache that he is well known for creating. His history as a malcontent is well documented, and even his former mentor Chris Carter came out this week and said Moss has a lot of quit in him.

To me, the negatives that Moss has showed over the years far outweigh the positives that he brings to the table at this advanced stage of his career. Plus, Moss lacks the physical identity that this team has been built around. He will not block or go over the middle to catch a pass, he is essentially a one trick pony.

If last year’s free agent class is any sign of how the Jaguars like to do business, then it is clear that general manager Gene Smith values ascending talent that is entering the prime of their career over former superstars who are rapidly approaching the end of their career.

If the Jaguars hold to form, it is extremely unlikely that Moss will be catching passes from Blaine Gabbert in 2012.

However, with the news on Sunday night that the Philadelphia Eagles are planning to place the franchise tag on free agent wide receiver DeSean Jackson, it brings up the concern that other free agent wide receivers could see the same fate as Jackson and limit the free agent market.

While Jackson was almost certainly not one of the wide receivers on the Jaguars radar, his absence from the free agent market will be felt. The Jaguars are not the only team in the market for a top receiving target this off-season, so anytime one of the top receivers gets taken off the market it decreases the odds that the Jaguars can land an elite pass catcher.

The free agent pool for wide receivers is deep this off-season, but it is possible that a few more receivers are taken off the market by their teams prior to the opening of free agency on March 13.

Regardless, it seems that the Jaguars are going to have to throw a lot of cash at whoever they target.

In an interview with Vito Stellino of The Florida Times-Union, Mularkey expressed great confidence in the coaching staff he has hired and for the Jaguars to have a quick turnaround in 2012 following a disappointing 2011 season.

“I think it’s going to work here. I really think it’s going to work now that I have this staff together,’’ Mularkey told Stellino. “This is an unbelievable bunch of people I hired. Great people, great coaches.”

The coaching staff that Mularkey assembled includes several familiar faces on the defensive side of the ball. One of the first decisions Mularkey made was to retain defensive coordinator Mel Tucker along with defensive line coach Joe Cullen and linebackers coach Mark Duffner. The defensive staff that worked with the Jaguars in 2011 was very instrumental in turning around a unit that ranked towards the bottom of the league in 2010.

Mularkey assembled a wealth of experience on the offensive coaching staff. His offensive staff includes two guys in Bob Bratkowski and Greg Olson that have previous experience as offensive coordinators and a well respected coach in Sylvester Croom who used to be a head coach in college. The biggest challenge for Mularkey and his offensive staff will be turning around a passing offense that ranked dead last in the NFL last year with rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert under center.

Mularkey is confident in the abilities of Gabbert to lead the Jaguars offense and thinks there is no reason not to expect the Jaguars to be competitive next season.

“I think every year you’ve got a chance,” he said. “A lot of things have to happen. You’ve got to stay healthy and you need some luck as well.”

Despite the 5-11 record last season, the Jaguars are not currently in a total rebuilding process like some of the other teams selecting in the top ten of this April’s NFL Draft. Jaguars general manager Gene Smith has already been building this roster for the past three seasons and new Jaguars owner Shahid Khan’s decision to keep Smith as his general manager is a sign that he believes that Smith is close to having this team ready to compete.

It will be up to Mularkey and his coaching staff to get the most out of the talent that they are provided with in 2012.

Las Vegas thinks that the Jacksonville Jaguars are the longest shot to win Super Bowl XLVII.

The MGM Grand casino has the Jaguars at 150-1 odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy next February in their initial lines on the 2012 season.

The early betting favorite for next year is the New England Patriots, who open at 5-1 odds.

While these odds are an early assessment of how the Jaguars are viewed on a national level, they will certainly shift drastically as teams begin to sign free agents and their 2012 roster begin to take shape throughout the off-season.

First he hired a new coach, now he has announced that the Jaguars will have new uniforms in 2013.

The Jaguars are going to switch from their traditional home teal jerseys, to a new all black uniform. The Jaguars formally used black jerseys as their third jersey option, but got rid of them prior to the 2009 because former owner Wayne Weaver thought the amount of jersey options the team had muddled their identity.

The Jaguars will be one of the first teams to get a uniform makeover under the new contract the NFL has with Nike.