2024 NFL Draft: Who Does PFF Slot to Jaguars in Two-Round Mock?
The 2024 NFL Draft is set to be a big one for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jacksonville is equipped with nine picks in April's draft, with extra picks in the fourth and sixth 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 a mock from Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus, which features plenty of trades and movement throughout the board following Super Bowl LVIII.
So, who does Sikkema project to the Jaguars in his two-round mock?
Round 1, No. 17: Oregon OL Jackson Powers-Johnson
Round 2, No. 48: Georgia WR Ladd McConkey
In this mock, the Jaguars get two players to boost the floor and ceiling of an offense that simply didn't meet expectations in 2023. Sikkema mocked them a player who could reasonably start at left guard or center in 2024 in Powers-Johnson specifically.
"Powers-Johnson is coming off a dominant few days of Senior Bowl practices. He’s been the Ducks’ full-time starting center for just one season, but in Mobile, he showed he can be dominant at both center and guard. That flexibility means he’ll be starting somewhere in Jacksonville Week 1 if they draft him," Sikkema said
It isn't hard to see how Powers-Johnson would slot in for the Jaguars. They need help along the interior offensive line in a number of spots considering how free agency goes, with the 2024 statuses of both Ezra Cleveland and right guard Brandon Scherff up in the air. Powers-Johnson could also step in and replace 2022 third-round center Luke Fortner, who has started every game for the Jaguars in the last two seasons.
The interesting selection is McConkey. The Jaguars' wide receiver room certainly lacked depth due to injuries at times in 2023, though the Jaguars are high on 2023 sixth-round pick Parker Washington as slot and return man depth.
Otherwise, though, the Jaguars have Calvin Ridley and Jamal Agnew both set to be free agents and Elijah Cooks and Tim Jones struggled to produce in 2023. Depending on whether the Jaguars retain Ridley, the receiver room could be a major focus in 2024 and beyond.
The question is whether McConkey is too similar to Washington and Christian Kirk. He would obviously be able to produce in some facet early on in his career, but the Jaguars' room does need a bit more diversification of skill sets than he would provide.
