With the most important part of free agency over, all of the league’s 32 teams likely have their draft boards set and a plan in place of what direction they will go in with their selections.
In the Jacksonville Jaguars’ case, it’s likely suiting up to be the most interesting selection process in team history as they have 12 draft selections. While they’ve addressed several needs in free agency with the addition of players like linebacker Joe Schobert, defensive lineman Rodney Gunter, and tight end Tyler Eifert (if healthy), there are still plenty of holes to fill within the roster.
With it being three weeks since our last mock draft, we headed over to Pro Football Network to fire up their new mock draft simulator (which even let us make a trade). When considering the Jags’ needs at the moment, here are the selections we came away with:
Round one, selection No. 9: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn
It’s going to get crazy within the top-8 selections and a very good player will fall to the Jags. In this case, it was Auburn’s Derrick Brown who would bolster the team’s presence in the middle.
At 6-foot-5, 326-pounds, he can be a space-eating nose tackle for them in the middle or provide them with a push in the interior when a pass-rush is needed. Most feel he’s an elite prospect and it’s hard to envision the Jags not thinking the same.
Round one, selection No. 20: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
The Jags front office lost Allen Robinson many years ago, and as one of Dave Caldwell’s best selections, it’s possible he could’ve retained the young receiver had he been the front office’s top guy. Regardless of who is to blame for Robinson’s loss, this receivers class will allow Caldwell to make up for it.
Reuniting D.J. Chark Jr. with his old Louisiana State teammate Justin Jefferson would be awesome for the Jags’ offense. When considering his catch radius, Gardner Minshew II certainly would be game for this pick as well.
Round two, selection No. 42: Solomon Kindley, OG, Georgia
If the Jags are going to roll with running back Leonard Fournette for at least one more season, they need to bolster the offensive line. Acquiring a massive guard to help the run game like Solomon Kindley would do just that as he’s paved lanes for the likes of DeAndre Swift and Nick Chubb.
This would also be a big plus for Jags fans as Kindley would be returning to his native town where he made a name for himself at Raines High School.
Round three, selection No. 73: Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia
Obviously, the Jags will pick a cornerback at some point in this draft after their deal with Darqueze Dennard wasn’t complete. That said, I went with Bryce Hall with this selection as he’s a prospect who is solid in both zone and man coverage and offers the size the Jags like at cornerback (6-foot-1, 202-pounds).
Some will say he probably won’t be available for this pick but it’s worth noting that this won’t be your average draft because teams aren’t able to get the proper medical evaluations on the prospects. That could cause a slide for Hall, who broke his ankle in October of last year and was lost for the season.
Round three, selection No. 89: Alex Highsmith, DE, Charlotte
*Trade alert: We moved up to this spot previously held by the Minnesota Vikings by trading them picks No. 116, No. 140, and a conditional fourth in 2021.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport told us that he believes the Jags would like to keep Yannick Ngakoue, and I completely agree. However, his future with the team is murky, and even if they don’t trade him, they need someone to take the field in his place for 2020 because he may sit out.
Alex Highsmith is a player who was ultra-productive behind the line of scrimmage during his time at Charlotte, garnering 47 tackles for loss in four seasons. He especially balled out in 2019, accumulating 21.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks. That’s not bad for a player who had to walk-on and is an indicator that he can develop over time under Todd Wash, who isn’t a fan favorite but has fared well with developing lineman.
Round four, selection No. 137: Hakeem Adeniji, OT
The Jaguars should take more than one offensive lineman in the upcoming draft in my opinion. The addition of Kindley would give them a new starting guard in A.J. Cann’s place while the addition of a player like Hakeem Adeniji would give them another offensive lineman who could be groomed for a starting role in 2021.
Left tackle Cam Robinson has a year remaining on his contract and has been up and down. Left guard Andrew Norwell hasn’t played up to his contract that once made him the highest-paid guard in football. Adeniji could take either player’s place in 2021, however, at 6-foot-4, 302-pounds, he may be better suited to play guard in the staff’s eyes.
Round five, selection No. 157: J.R. Reed, Safety, Georgia
J.R. Reed makes a return from our last mock. As previously mentioned, he frequently found himself around the ball in key moments at the University of Georgia and could push Jarrod Wilson for a starting job potentially.
Round five, selection No. 165: Dalton Keene, TE, Virginia Tech
Despite adding Eifert recently, Doug Marrone said the Jags weren’t done adding help at tight end and neither should they be. Eifert has missed 53-of-112 career games while James O’Shaughnessy and Josh Oliver will be coming off injured reserve.
Dalton Keene proved to be a Swiss army knife type of player for Virginia Tech and that would greatly benefit new coordinator Jay Gruden. At 6-foot-4, 253 pounds, he’d also help add another big target for Minshew who clearly missed the presence of a go-to tight end during his rookie campaign.
Round six, selection No. 189: Khalil Davis, DT, Nebraska
This was just a simple case of continuing the trend of building in the trenches. While the Jags’ defensive tackle rotation would already be respectable with the addition of Brown, Khalil Davis was simply too talented to pass up at this point.
Davis is a prospect who has utilized the pre-draft process flawlessly and has done himself a lot of favors. He was a standout during Shrine Game week and stood out at the Scouting Combine after running a 4.76 at 308 pounds. In a league where teams can never have too many pass rushers, I don’t think the Jags would have a problem with adding more help on their defensive line as they attempt to get their line back to being an elite unit.
Round six, selection No. 206: DeeJay Dallas, RB, Miami
DeeJay Dallas is another player who returns from our last full mock. Simply put, the Jags may not have Leonard Fournette past 2020 and Dallas has a lot of similar traits. During the preseason process, he could battle Ryquell Armstead for the No. 2 running back spot.
Round seven, selection No. 223: Tipa Galeai, Utah State, LB/DE
This was just another case of taking the best available player. While Tipa Galeai is undersized to be a 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 edge rusher in the NFL (6-foot-5, 235-pounds), maybe the Jags could try him out at weakside linebacker because he does play with a downhill mentality. The team may be set at the position with Myles Jack, Joe Schobert, and Leon Jacobs set to be the team’s starters for 2020 but the depth behind them could use some upgrades.
