Early 2021 NFL Mock Draft Slots Quarterback, Defense to Jaguars
Let us preface this with a point: it is entirely too early to put too much stock into mock drafts. That statement will be just as true in January as it is today. But while that fact remains, mock drafts are still a worthwhile exercise to examine because they can help paint a picture of possible scenarios that could play out in future drafts.
The start of the 2021 NFL Draft is over half a year away, but while most fans are gearing up for the 2020 season and reflecting on their club's latest draft class, teams are already preparing for next year's draft.
For the second year in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be a major player in the draft's first round. Thanks to the trade that sent All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams, the Jaguars own two first-round picks in 2021, giving them plenty of flexibility in the first round.
Last year's draft saw the Jaguars nab two athletic defenders with their first-round picks: Florida cornerback CJ Henderson with the No. 9 overall pick and LSU defensive end/outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson with the No. 20 overall pick. The duo was selected to replace Ramsey and, eventually, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, and were the two most important investments the Jaguars made this offseason.
But what could be the team's needs once next year's draft rolls around? To determine the answer, as well as fits within the team, we take a look at a early 2021 mock draft compiled by Dalton Miller of the Pro Football Network to pan their picks for the Jaguars and why, or why not, it would be a logical scenario for Jacksonville next year.
With the No. 1 overall pick, Miller slotted the Jaguars a familiar and popular mock draft pick for Duval's squad: Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
"This has felt like a forgone conclusion since early on in his freshman year when he burst onto the scene at Clemson after receiving some of the highest praise ever given to a high school recruit. There were some ebbs and flows during his sophomore season, and as a pro prospect, he certainly isn’t perfect yet, but he is already an outstanding translatable talent with nearly unlimited potential going forward," Miller wrote.
Just as the Dolphins were tied to Tua Tagovailoa for most of 2019, expect for the Jaguars to be mentioned in the same breath as Lawrence for most of 2020. The Jaguars have Gardner Minshew II as their starter for 2020, a role he genuinely earned after a successful rookie season in 2019. But if the Jaguars are to find themselves picking No. 1 overall for the first time in team history in 2021, it would be rather shocking to see the team not select a quarterback, whether it be Lawrence or Ohio State's Justin Fields.
While Minshew had a solid rookie season, completing 60.64% of his passes for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions while compiling a 6-6 record as a starter, it is still far from a certainty that he can be "the man" for the Jaguars in 2020 and beyond. He still has to prove himself in that regard, though it appears he will have every single opportunity to do so.
AllClemson listed the Jaguars as a potential landing spot for Lawrence that makes sense earlier this season, and it is hard to poke holes in this. Unless Minshew can help the Jaguars get closer to becoming a winning football team, there is a very real chance the Jaguars select a quarterback in the first round in 2021. As of today, Lawrence is the best one who is slated to be available considering his dominance of college over the last two seasons (65.5% completion rate, 6,945 passing yards, 66 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in two seasons).
As for the next two picks, PFN projected the Jaguars to walk away with picks that are virtually identical to the picks they just made this past April. With the No. 17 overall pick, PFN projected the Jaguars to select Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley. With the No. 33 pick, they were given Miami edge defender Quincy Roche.
"He’s natural in man coverage and aggressive coming forward in zone coverage situations. Pairing Farley with C.J. Henderson brings two impressively long and physical corners that can press, which should allow for stud rusher Josh Allen and current rookie K’Lavon Chaisson some opportunity for easy coverage sacks," Miller wrote.
On one hand, giving the Jaguars two more athletic and talented young players are two of the most important positions in football would be understandable. Farley and Henderson would, in theory, represent a high-ceiling duo the Jaguars could build their secondary around for the foreseeable future. As for Roche, he is one of the most physically gifted defenders in all of college football, and adding him to a unit that already has Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson would create a dangerous trio of athletic edge rushers.
On the other hand, Jacksonville has put considerable resources into its defense in recent drafts and eventually it has to turn back to rebuilding the offense. Three of the team's last four first-round picks have been defenders, while the Jaguars have only drafted two offensive players in the first round since 2014 (Blake Bortles and Leonard Fournette).
In many aspects, Jacksonville has neglected to make substantial investments in its offense and has instead tried to get by with patchwork pieces. This draft would give them a franchise quarterback and two gifted defenders to add to an already young and emerging defense, but early on the Jaguars should likely keep their focus on adding to an offense that was 26th in scoring last season.
For PFN's full mock draft, click here.
