2022 NFL Draft: Jaguars Sit at No. 3 Overall Through Week 12
Considering the Jacksonville Jaguars are already on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention, it is hard to not look ahead to the 2022 offseason. That is when the Jaguars will be forced to go back to the drawing board and hit reset on their entire offensive plan after a 2021 that disappointed many.
There are still six games left to play, but the Jaguars are more or less playing out the string on an already-failed season -- a season that has seen them only marginally improve from last year's 1-15 campaign.
Sitting at 2-9 after Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Jaguars' eventual place in the 2022 NFL Draft order became a bit more clear. There are no sure things with six games left to play (just ask the 2020 Jaguars/Jets), but the Jaguars' draft range has become all the more clearer.
With six games left in the year, the Jaguars currently sit at No. 3 in the 2022 NFL Draft order, according to Tankathon. The Jaguars are tied with the Houston Texans for the NFL's second-worst record behind the Detroit Lions, but the Texans get the strength of schedule tiebreaker, which takes precedent over the head-to-head tiebreaker that would favor the Jaguars.
JaThe current-top 10 order of the 2022 NFL Draft, via Tankathon.com.
As things stand today, there is still a lot of movement that could take place, particularly within the top 5. The Jaguars are unlikely to have the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row due to the Lions' struggles that seemingly have them on a straight line to the draft's top selection, but it wouldn't be a shock to see the Jaguars at No. 2, No. 4, or No. 5 overall.
In short, the rest of the Jaguars' schedule will help sort things out. Four of the Jaguars six opponents aren't in the top-10 currently, but the Jaguars do still have dates with the Texans (Week 15 in Jacksonville) and the Jets (Week 16 at MetLife Stadium). Depending on how these two back-to-back games shake out, the Jaguars could either find themselves picking just behind the Lions and in front of the Texans and Jets, or find themselves behind each of the three squads.
Which players could interest the Jaguars at No. 3 overall if things remain like they are today? As of now, there are five players who make sense to varying degrees. Here is each player, ranked from least ideal to most ideal in terms of fit.
No. 5: Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton
Kyle Hamilton is one of the best players in the entire draft, but it is just hard for me to think a safety should be any higher on this list. Hamilton is a legitimately elite safety prospect, but I would need some serious swaying to think the 2-9 Jaguars' biggest issue and need for a playmaker is at the safety position. Hamilton has eight career interceptions, 16 pass deflections, and 7.5 tackles for loss over the last three seasons at Notre Dame and is one of the most decorated safeties in recent memory, but the Jaguars simply aren't in the position to make a luxury pick like safety, at least not with some of these other prospects om the board.
No. 4: LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr.
Had Tyson Campbell not improved by leaps and bounds over the last month, there is a real chance LSU's Derek Stingley would be No. 1 on this list. Stingley had an up-and-down 2021 before injuries sidelined him for the rest of the season, but there is zero doubt that he is an NFL-ready cover man when healthy. The Jaguars should feel okay about their starting cornerback duo entering 2022, though, as long as Campbell continues to improve and Shaquill Griffin doesn't regress. Stingley is one of the better players on this list, but the Jaguars have bigger needs than cornerback in the top-5.
No. 3: Alabama OT Evan Neal
I do think the Jaguars need to see what they have in Walker Little at right tackle, but Evan Neal is the only selection at the top of this year's draft that could help Trevor Lawrence, and that shouldn't be ignored. Ideally, the Jaguars would feel comfortable with Little at right tackle and keep Neal at left tackle, though the Jaguars could always flip the order as well. Either way, picking Neal would give the Jaguars two young and cheap tackles to rebuild their offensive line around, and would ideally offer an upgrade over the Cam Robinson/Jawaan Taylor duo.
No. 2: Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
You might as well call Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson 1B to Kayvon Thibodeaux's 1A. I slightly lean Thibodeaux just because of my belief in his ceiling, but Hutchinson just seems like a Jaguars pick. He is a productive Big 10 pass-rusher who had one of his best games against Ohio State and he offers the same defensive end/outside linebacker versatility the Jaguars look for in the rest of their edge rushers. Plus, Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was on the Baltimore Ravens' staff with Jaguars assistants Joe Cullen, Sterling Lucas, and Zach Orr in recent years. The Jaguars love getting their inside information, and they can certainly get that with Hutchinson.
No. 1: Oregon EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux
A freak of nature at the defensive end position, there aren't many defenders who are built like Kayvon Thibodeaux. For a Jaguars defense that is currently needing more blue-chip talents, Thibodeaux would be a best-case scenario. The Jaguars' pass-rush has improved this year as Joe Cullen has introduced solid pressure schemes and blitz packages, but the Jaguars still don't quite win enough one-on-ones on the edge. Adding Thibodeaux to a line with Josh Allen on it would go a long way toward fixing that.
