As we get closer to the 2020 NFL Draft, the hype surrounding Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue continues to grow. As most are aware, the young defensive end has been adamant about wanting to be traded as he no longer wants to remain on the Jags’ roster.
As a result of him being disgruntled, many draft pundits have thrown some trade scenarios out there for the Jags to ship the former Pro Bowler away for draft compensation. CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson laid out the most recent trade scenario for Ngakoue in his new mock, and it was a move that was a hot topic amongst Jags fans.
With the New York Giants in need of a good edge rusher, Wilson had them acquiring Ngakoue in exchange for the No. 4 overall selection. However, the puzzling part was the fact that the Jags also gave up their first selection of the draft (No. 9) and their third-round selection (No. 99) then proceeded to take Oregon’s Justin Herbert.
Simply put, this is a terrible trade for Jacksonville and it’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t feel the same way. It would make zero sense for the Jags to give up a Pro Bowl defensive end and two of their top-3 draft picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. That said, it appears Wilson feels the Jags are super desperate for a quarterback, however, that’s not what they’ve indicated to the public.
Gardner Minshew II had an impressive enough 2019 run for the Jags to stick with him as opposed to severely crippling themselves with such a trade. Besides, Jags general manager Dave Caldwell has only put together one winning season out of seven, so he could be another disappointing season away from losing his job. For that reason, it’s hard to imagine him not trusting the player he knows in Minshew over Herbert. Even if he added Herbert, this scenario wouldn’t allow Caldwell to add weapons around him in terms of early draft selections.
As for Ngakoue, what the Jags are likely looking for (if it’s even a thought for them) is a trade scenario similar to that of the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks last year. Before the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seahawks shipped pass-rusher Frank Clark to the Chiefs for a late 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-rounder, and swapped their thirds for 2019. Simply put, if the teams who are interested in Ngakoue are offering anything less, the Jags should have no problem declining those offers.
