2024 NFL Draft: Early 3-Round Jaguars Mock
Draft season has officially begun in Jacksonville.
After a 9-8 season saw the Jaguars get bounced from playoff contention in Week 18, the Jaguars have to find a way to improve this offseason. And considering the preferences of both head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke, it figures that the draft is the surest way to do that.
As a result, I put together a three-round mock to show what some potential scenarios could be for the Jaguars once April rolls around. This is an early mock and a lot can change, but it is just an exercise.
Reminder: the Jaguars do not currently have their own third-round pick due to the Calvin Ridley trade, but they are projected a late third-round compensatory pick due to the Jawaan Taylor signing last offseason.
For context: I used PFF's Mock Draft Simulator for this exercise, and will continue to do so throughout the offseason. So if you think a player won't be where I picked them, don't blame me.
1st Round, No. 17 overall: Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
I know, I know. You want me burned at the stake for not taking a trench player. But hear me out.
The Jaguars still need cornerback depth. Montaric Brown looks like a solid depth piece, but there are long-term questions at the starting positions. Tyson Campbell is entering a contract year and probably can't be extended this offseason considering the lost year he had in 2023. It was mostly injury-related, but Campbell was arguably the most disappointing player on the team on an individual basis considering the expectations going in.
Then you have Darious Williams. Williams has been incredibly efficient and consistent for the Jaguars since he moved to outside cornerback halfway through 2022, but he is entering the final year of his deal in 2024 and will be 31. It is time for the Jaguars to start thinking about life after Williams. That is where Terrion Arnold would come in.
Arnold played 205 snaps in the slot in 2023 and could easily project to play there as a rookie in 2024. There is a real chance that Antonio Johnson starts at safety next year if the Jaguars move on from Rayshawn Jenkins for cap reasons, too, with safety being a more natural role for Johnson than slot cornerback is.
In short, Arnold could provide short-term depth in 2024 by playing nickel early on before settling into a full-time role on the outside in 2025 and beyond as the Jaguars figure out the futures of Williams and Campbell. Remember, too, that the Jaguars took Campbell at the top of round two in 2021 when they already seemingly had two starters in C.J. Henderson and Shaquill Griffin.
2nd Round, No. 48 overall: Yale OL Kiran Amegadjie
Going for a small school player this early would be a bit of a rarity for Trent Baalke, but he did sign a Yale product in Foyesade Oluokun in 2022. Kiran Amegadjie is a force to be reckoned with, too, playing at a high level against smaller competition in his college career.
Amegadjie, 6-foot-5 and 318 pounds, started at right guard in 2021 before spending the last two seasons at left tackle, but he would be a guard for Jaguars purposes. They have their tackles in Walker Little and Anton Harrison, while Cam Robinson could still be in the mix too. In Amegadjie, though, the Jaguars would have a high-ceiling athletic freak who could slot into guard early on while still having tackle upside in the future, which could come in handy since Little is in a contract year.
Perhaps Amegadjie wouldn't even have to start for the Jaguars as a rookie, either, depending on the futures of Ezra Cleveland and Brandon Scherff. Either way, he would instantly make the Jaguars more physical in the trenches and would provide some key depth and upside that they have been missing for some time.
3rd Round, No. 96 overall: West Virginia C Zach Frazier
Is two years too soon to give up on a third-round pick? That is what the Jaguars have to ask themselves this offseason when it comes to Luke Fortner. Fortner hasn't missed a start since the Jaguars drafted him in 2022 and the team has consistently praised how well he handles the offense from a mental standpoint, but the Jaguars simply can't allow him to help torpedo their running game for a third consecutive season. He is one of the biggest net negatives of any center in football in terms of run-blocking, and it showed up down the stretch.
That is where Zach Frazier would come in. The four-year starter's scouting report basically reads like the opposite of Fortner's: he may not be the most athletic center, but he is strong, physical and consistent. He has carried a lot of the load for West Virginia's run game, and could be the spark the Jaguars need in the middle of their line. This would be a steal, but blame PFF's simulator, not me.
