2023 NFL Draft: 3-Round Jaguars Mock Draft, Senior Bowl Edition
It is Senior Bowl week.
As the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles prepare to clash in Super Bowl LVII next week, scouts across the board will be huddled up at the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL. to watch this year's group of top seniors on the practice field, as well as gain other valuable information from them off the field in terms of fit.
Last year's Senior Bowl was obviously key for the Jacksonville Jaguars and general manager Trent Baalke, who selected Luke Fortner, Chad Muma and Gregory Junior from the all-star event.
As such, we are going to take a look at some of the top Senior Bowl talents that fit the Jacksonville Jaguars' needs in the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft.
With the Jaguars unlikely to be major players in this year's free agency after their spending spree last year, the most obvious place for improvement for the Jaguars will come via the NFL Draft.
This year, the Jaguars are set to pick No. 24 overall after their second-round exit. Typically, the Jaguars would pick No. 25 overall, but due to the Miami Dolphins having a forfeited first-round pick, the Jaguars pick goes up a selection.
All selections were made via the Pro Football Network Mock Draft Simulator.
So, who do we take with the Jaguars' first two picks (No. 24, No. 56, No. 88? We break it down below.
No. 24: Florida OG O'Cyrus Torrence
The Jaguars are in an interesting spot considering the left guard spot in 2023. They saw Ben Bartch started five games in 2022 after winning the job in training camp, but a season-ending knee injury resulted in the Jaguars leaning on veteran center/guard Tyler Shatley for 14 games (12 regular-season, two playoff games).
You never want to see guys get injured, when Cam (Robinson) went down, but what injury does is create opportunity for somebody else. When those guys went down, when Ben (OL Ben Bartch) went down, (Shatley) stepped in and did an outstanding job," Baalke said last week.
"It gave us a chance to evaluate not only the front-line guys but the depth of our roster at that position, and we feel really good about it. I think Coach Rauscher has done an outstanding job working with those guys, and they’re only going to continue to get better. The good thing is, most of those guys are young. Most of them are on their first contract. You’ve got a couple that are early stages of their second contract, and only Shat, really, is a guy that is up there in years, but you couldn’t tell by the way he performed this year for us. He stepped in and did an outstanding job.”
But even while Baalke is clearly high on the offensive line moving forward and the Jaguars are set to have both Bartch and Shatley in contract years in 2023, it is still worth considering adding more young talent to the offensive line. In this case, it would be one of the draft's top offensive linemen in Gators guard O'Cyrus Torrence.
The Jaguars' lack of a top-end guard opposite Brandon Scherff showed up against top defensive lines in 2022. Torrence could be an eventual answer to that, even if a first-round investment in a guard in a pass-first offense may be a questionable short-term move. Still, Torrence would give the Jaguars an upgrade in the short-yardage game and give the Jaguars one of the deepest offensive line rooms they have ever had.
No. 56: Auburn EDGE Derick Hall
The Jaguars have invested a lot in their pass-rush in recent seasons. They have a former No. 7 pick at one edge spot, last year's No. 1 pick at the other one, and a pair of impending veteran free agents who proved to be key fixtures last season. The Jaguars will likely do all they can to bring back both Arden Key and Dawuane Smoot, but the late-season stretch with injuries along the front showed the Jaguars could still use some depth at pass-rusher.
Would selecting a second-round pass-rusher who would likely not start as a rookie be a smart move? In the long-run it absolutely could be, while in the short-term it can give the Jaguars the juice they were missing to take down the top offenses in 2022. The pick would likely be, at best, the Jaguars' third edge rusher, but he would give them flexibility, insurance, and would also allow for more Travon Walker snaps inside.
This leads us to Auburn edge defender Derick Hall, who recorded 19.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and 28 tackles for loss over the last three seasons. Hall is an experienced player with a lot of football under his belt, something the Jaguars put an emphasis on last draft. Hall may not see his name in many first-round projections, but his profile as an experienced SEC pass-rusher makes sense for Baalke's track record.
No. 88: Stanford CB Kyu Blu Kelly
The Jaguars have a cornerback situation that has offered a range of opinions on it's future. The Jaguars have two good starting outside cornerbacks in Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams, while starting nickel cornerback Tre Herndon is set to be a free agent. Williams is set to be 30 in 2023 and could be a free agent after the season, however, meaning the Jaguars shouldn't avoid adding a cornerback at either outside or the nickel.
The Jaguars may want a cornerback who is more experienced than toolsy considering the trust they had in Herndon as a slot option. A lot is placed on the slot cornerback in the Jaguars' defense, and it can be too much for the wrong fit. One potential fit, however, is Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, who was a fixture in Stanford's secondary for four seasons.
Kelly recorded three interceptions and 23 pass breakups with Stanford with 37 games under his belt. Kelly spent most of his time on the outside with Stanford but he also has snaps in the nickel in his history. All in all, he makes sense for the Jaguars who could use a boost at cornerback overall.
