Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire.
The days and weeks leading up to the NFL draft can become cluttered with rumors and reports, some valuable and others not so much. Ultimately, the draft is difficult to predict.
But based on intel he’s gathered from personnel staff across the league, Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer shared on Monday that the Jaguars have researched what it would require to trade up in the draft, adding that the top of the wide receiver class has captured Jacksonville’s interest in particular.
The reporting makes sense as it aligns, at least somewhat, with Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke’s pre-draft comments.
“What you need to know: The Jaguars have explored moving up—and they’ve done a lot of work on the top receivers in the draft,” Breer wrote, likely referencing Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze.
“Losing Calvin Ridley, even with Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis paid, makes that spot a priority. Failing that, corner, if either [Terrion] Arnold or [Quinyon] Mitchell are available here, shapes up as a possibility, too. Another would be a disruptive defensive tackle for new [defensive coordinator] Ryan Nielsen’s scheme—maybe [Byron] Murphy [II], if he slides a bit, or Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton (who’s coming off a foot fracture).”
Of note, John Shipley of Jaguar Report noted last week that the Jaguars are “extremely high” on Nabers at the wide receiver position, specifically.
Although Baalke didn’t explicitly say the Jaguars are eyeing a trade-up for a certain position or prospect, he was complimentary of the cornerback and wide receiver groups while speaking with reporters on Thursday, as well as the crop of offensive linemen.
He also referenced the homework Jacksonville has conducted on a handful of picks in front of the Jaguars in the draft order, in the event a prospect of the team’s intrigue slips down the board.
“We know who’s willing to move and we’ve had preliminary discussions on what that looks like, what it’s going to cost to move up there,” Baalke said.
“You have exploratory conversations, you know what it’s going to take you to get to the 12 or 13, 14, 15 [pick] or whatever the number is, and then you wait until draft day to figure out whether you’re going to do it or not.”
The first round of the 2024 NFL draft will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Having admitted he isn’t keen on trading up before the event unless it’s for the first pick, don’t expect Baalke to strike a first-round deal until it’s underway, if at all.
