2024 NFL Draft: Who Does the Ringer Mock to the Jaguars?
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 The Ringer's Benjamin Solak's latest projections and who he gives the Jaguars to improve their trenches at No. 17 overall.
Round 1, No. 17: Texas DL Byron Murphy
Like many fans have and will continue to clamor for, this pick sees the Jaguars adding to the trenches. This time, though, it comes on the defensive side of the ball in the form of Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphu.
"The interior defensive line class is tough to figure out this year, but the Jaguars sure need to—defensive tackle was their shakiest position once DaVon Hamilton went down, and the lack of interior penetration made it harder for any non-Josh Allen edge rusher to produce. Murphy is a squatty but quick penetration player, which fits the role and mold that new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen has preferred of his interior defensive linemen," Solak said.
A former four-star recruit, the 21-year-old Murphy had 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2023, earning second-team All-American honors and grading out as one of the best interior pass-rushers in the college game. It is easy to see why this would serve as a boost for the Jaguars' defense considering their lack of production at the position in 2023.
The Jaguars' interior defensive line recorded just 4.5 sacks in 2023, with 3.5 of those coming from Roy Robertson-Harris and the other coming from Adam Gotsis. Together, Robertson-Harris, Gotsis, Hamilton, Foley Fatukasi, Angelo Blackson, Tyler Lacy, and Jeremiah Ledbetter combined for just 14 tackles for loss and 24 quarterback hits. The lack of play-making from the unit was an issue all year long, and this doesn't even factor in the decline of the run-defense.
Among 152 interior defensive linemen with at least 75 pass rushes in 2023, the Jaguars had just one rank in the top-75 in pass-rush win-rate: Robertson Harris at No. 75. Add in Fatukasi at No. 81, and the Jaguars only had two in the top-130. The Jaguars had four players rank in the bottom 22, per Pro Football Focus.
It does call into question exactly how early and how often Murphy would see the field, however. DaVon Hamilton and Roy Robertson-Harris carry high cap numbers and will likely start in 2024, which means this could be more of a long-term pick than a short-term instant impact one.
