Jon Gruden wanted to draft Derwin James, but pa sed Published: Oct 04, 2018 at 12:56 AM Herbie Teope From this guy Nolan Ryan Jersey to that guy, viewers who watched Jon Gruden in the broadcast booth over the past decade know he won't hold back on compliments. Gruden, now once again the head coach for the , often lavished on-air praise on football players and pointed out which impact players could play for him. Gruden's penchant for heaping accolades has carried over to his return to the sidelines and he didn't hold back Wednesday on rookie safety . "We wanted to take ," Blank Jersey Gruden said in a Wednesday teleconference with beat reporters. "Everybody wanted ." The owned the 15th overall pick in the 2018 and had the opportunity to take James, who eventually went to the two picks later. Gruden, however, pointed out an obstacle entering the 2018 draft, as the previously used a first-round pick on safety in 2016 and a second-round pick on safety in 2017. The two selections in consecutive years Robert Gsellman Jersey made it difficult for Gruden to justify using a high pick on another safety and the ended up going with offensive tackle . Neverthele s, Gruden knows what kind of player the have and compared James' versatile skill set to Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and Rodney Harrison. "He's an intimidating player, he is a physical presence," Gruden told reporters. "I think he's got range to play deep, he's got coverage ability. He can run through you, he can run around you, he Mike Piazza Jersey can run right over you. He is a dynamite young player and he'll be one of the building blocks in L.A. for a long time for the ." The ' lo s is certainly the ' gain, and it is easy to see why Gruden fell in love with the young safety. James, whom some draft analysts and prognosticators pegged as the top safety of the 2018 draft cla s, has quickly a serted himself as . Through four games, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound James leads the ' defense in tackles (26), sacks (three) and pa ses defensed (six). Gruden will see James up close twice a year given the AFC West roots, starting Sunday when the travel to Los Angeles to play the . This article New York Mets Jersey has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.