2020 NFL Draft: Final 7-Round Jaguars Mock Draft Before Thursday
One more day.
At 8 p.m. on Thursday night, the 2020 NFL Draft will at long last commence. While every draft is unpredictable and packed with surprises, this year's event looks to take the mantle as the most drama-filled event thanks to the strange circumstances surrounding it.
Included in that drama is a number of teams who possess double-digit draft picks, each of whom holds some of the cards that will play a big part in impacting how the draft plays out.
One of these teams is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have a franchise-record 12 draft picks over the draft's three days, including two on Thursday. Not only are the Jaguars tied for the second-most picks in this year's draft, they hold two first-round picks for the first time since 1998 when they selected two Jaguars greats in Fred Taylor and Donovin Darius.
In an effort to map out how a draft could potentially look for the Jaguars, we have conducted our final seven-round mock draft, with help from the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator. We made these picks based on how we feel the Jaguars would pick if the board fell how it does, not based on how we would maybe select.
For clarities sake, we mocked the first 20 picks of the draft's first round yesterday. Included in this mock are the two picks we gave to the Jaguars there, as well as the explanations for each.
Round 1, No. 9: Clemson LB/S Isaiah Simmons
Sure the Jaguars could go with an offensive tackle or wide receiver here, but passing on an elite talent like Isaiah Simmons simply because it isn't a "need" doesn't seem like Dave Caldwell's style. When top-tier players fall to him, he more often than not ensures they don't slip any further. The Jaguars have two high-priced linebackers in their starting lineup, but Simmons can play strongside linebacker in base defense and then replace Jarrod Wilson in nickel defensive sets. He is an elite athlete who can wear a number of hats for a defense, and he would be the mismatch on defense the Jaguars currently don't have in their back seven.
Round 1, No. 20: LSU WR Justin Jefferson
While this is a deep wide receiver class, the Jaguars desperately need to add a player who can be both a short- and long-term difference-maker. Three of their top four wide receivers are in the final year of their contracts, and none of them are established as consistent producers. Jefferson could step in right away and give Gardner Minshew II a safety blanket from the slot who can win in the middle of the field as well as on downfield contested catches. His pristine route running also seems like the kind of trait that would have wide receiver coach Keenan McCardell foaming at the mouth.
TRADE: Jaguars send picks No. 42, No. 116, and No. 223 to New York Giants for No. 36.
Round 2, No. 36: TCU CB Jeff Gladney
Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell loves trading up in round two. He did it with Allen Robinson in 2014, Myles Jack in 2016, Jawaan Taylor in 2019, and tried to do so for DJ Chark in 2018. Typically Caldwell and the Jaguars' brass see a player slipping who they have a first-round grade on, and they don't want to take the chance that he is available. In this scenario, the Jaguars send their first fourth-round pick and their seventh-round pick to move up six spots for TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney, who would step in as a starter for Jacksonville from his first day in the facilities.
Gladney doesn't have great size at 5-foot-10, but he meets every single one of the Jaguars' athletic and physical thresholds in terms of speed, size, and length at the position. He plays the run hard, has a ton of experience, and is a smart player who is all about football. He may not have shutdown corner potential due to his size, but he has all of the traits to be a very, very good cover man at the next level, and would give the Jaguars a formidable trio with him, D.J. Hayden, and Tre Herndon.
Round 3, No. 73: Missouri DT Jordan Elliott
Jacksonville's front seven needs to be revamped over the next several days, and taking the disruptive and athletic Jordan Elliott is a good start. Elliott didn't have great college production (5.5 career sacks), but he has all of the traits to be a solid starter at three-technique as he continues to develop his game as a pass-rusher.
It is now or never for 2018 first-rounder Taven Bryan to produce from the three-technique spot, but the Jaguars need some insurance regardless. And if Bryan does flip the switch in 2020, Elliott gives them another interior playmaker to rotate along the defensive line, a vast upgrade from the lack of depth along the defensive front last season.
Round 4, No. 137: Syracuse DE Alton Robinson
It is a foregone conclusion that Yannick Ngakoue has played his final snap for the Jaguars. While he could technically be on the roster come August, it is hard to see him suiting up for the team after he has burned bridge after bridge on social media. Due to the circumstances surrounding the veteran pass-rusher, the Jaguars will need to address defensive end at one point or another.
In this scenario, they take the athletic Alton Robinson as an Ngakoue replacement, though he is really going to be filling into Josh Allen's 2019 role while Allen becomes the Jaguars' No. 1 defensive end. Robinson had a terrific outing at the NFL Scouting Combine, and actually has a lot of similarities on paper to Ngakoue coming out of the University of Maryland. He is flexible, and quick around the edge, and has 19 sacks and five forced fumbles over the last three seasons.
Round 4, No. 140: Boston College RB A.J. Dillon
If Jacksonville wants to trade Leonard Fournette and replace him with a similarly bulky and bruising inside runner, maybe no running back in this class makes more sense for them than A.J. Dillon. The massive back (6-foot-0, 247-pounds) has a shaky track record as a passing-game contributor due to only 21 receptions in his collegiate career, but the Jaguars have Ryquell Armstead and Devine Ozigbo to carry the bulk of those responsibilities.
Instead, Dillon, who had an elite performance at the combine with a 41-inch vertical jump and 131-inch broad jump, would be the Jaguars' new battering ram. They could send him in waves against opposing defense's fronts to wear them down and to create play-action opportunities. Fournette's best traits are his ability to get yards after contact and grind out tough yards on the interior, and this is a role Dillon could replace him in instantly.
Round 5, No. 157: Wisconsin WR Quentez Cephus
Double-dipping at receiver here due to the lack of long-term options currently on the roster for the Jaguars. Quentez Cephus likely wouldn't have much of a role in year one aside from special teams, but he is a big-bodied receiver who wins on body positioning and possession ability. He is a middling athlete, but the Jaguars lack any true possession receivers on their roster as it stands today, so he fills a void in the receiver room.
Round 5, No. 165: Kansas OT Hakeem Adeniji
Jacksonville currently doesn't have a single swing tackle on their roster after veteran tackle Cedric Ogbuehi signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency. Kaheem Adeniji has four years of experience starting at left tackle, so he comes into the NFL with plenty of time on the blindside under his belt. He may never develop into a full-time starter, but he has developmental potential thanks to his size and strength at the point of attack.
Round 6, No. 189: Texas S Brandon Jones
Jacksonville badly needs depth at the safety position following the departure of Cody Davis in free agency. Andrew Wingard struggled as the No. 3 safety in 2019, and there is a lack of internal options to replace him as a result of the Jaguars not drafting a single free safety since 2015. Brandon Jones has good special teams potential due to his speed and physicality, and he could potentially carve out a nickel role as he develops his coverage ability.
Round 6, No. 206: Louisiana OG Kevin Dotson
The Jaguars need to start thinking about life after Andrew Norwell. Kevin Dotson wasn't invited to the combine, but he has starter-level traits in terms of his ability to anchor at the point of attack, create movement at the line of scrimmage, and erase linebackers at the second level. He will fall because the NFL doesn't appear to be as high on him as the draft community is, but he could be a potential gem.
