2024 NFL Draft: Who Do Jaguars Get in Daniel Jeremiah's First Mock?
The 2024 NFL Draft is set to be a big one for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jacksonville is equipped with 10 picks in April's draft, with extra picks in the fourth, sixth and seventh rounds. And after a disappointing 9-8 campaign in 2023, the Jaguars will need to make the best use of those picks.
As such, we will keep up with major mock drafts from draft experts throughout the offseason.
This time, we take a look at the first mock of the year from NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. A former college scout with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles, Jeremiah's mocks usually give a peak into the insight of the NFL's draft process.
"Now that I've had a chance to dig into the class, a few positions really stand out. There is a very deep group of offensive tackles and several first-round candidates at quarterback. The wide receiver group is absolutely loaded, too," Jeremiah said.
"I tend to base my mock drafts on what I'm hearing around the league, whereas my Top 50 prospect rankings reflect what I'm seeing during my own evaluations. Keep an eye out for those rankings in the days ahead, but for now, here is my first look at how the top 32 selections could play out when the draft gets underway in Detroit on April 25."
So, who do the Jaguars land in Jeremiah's first mock for the 2024 draft class? We break it down below.
Round 1, No. 17: Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell
The Jaguars have not selected a cornerback in the first-round since the 2020 NFL Draft, but expect a lot of mocks to predict a change this year. Jeremiah now joins that group.
"Mitchell had a ton of production in 2022 (five interceptions, 20 pass breakups) but wasn’t challenged as much in 2023. He is incredibly gifted and will put on a show when it comes to athletic testing," Jeremiah said.
Mitchell, a senior and Florida native, started 13 games as a sophomore in 2021 before a breakout season in 2022 that saw him break the school record for pass breakups in a season. As a result, Mitchell was named first-team All-MAC and third-team All-American.
In 2023, Mitchell was named first-team All-MAC for the second year in a row after 18 pass breakups and an interception. He was named a semifinals for the Chuck Bednarik Award and was named a second-team All-American.
"Mitchell possesses a gumbo of traits, with size, strength and speed filling up the pot. He’s built like a running back, tackles like a safety and has the ball skills of a cornerback," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein said in his scouting report on Mitchell.
"Mitchell is likely to be more comfortable and effective in off-man or zone coverages, where he isn’t forced to mirror-and-match the receiver’s release. While he needs to trace a more efficient path when hounding the route, his burst to close and physicality at the catch point could create tougher throwing windows for quarterbacks. Mitchell’s traits, play demeanor and special-teams potential should make him attractive to teams in the market for CB help."
If drafted in the first-round, Mitchell would be Toledo's first player to be selected in the first-round since Dan Williams was the No. 11 pick in 1993.
The Jaguars have made recent investments at cornerback in Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams, though the Jaguars could have a clear long-term need at cornerback in the event they revamp their scheme or look at Williams' contract entering the offseason.
