Mock Draft Roundup: Jaguars Get Secondary, Wide Receiver Help
With the Jacksonville Jaguars at 4-5 entering their Week 10 bye, the team only has seven more games to either prolong their season or expedite the NFL Draft process.
And with the college football season quickly approaching its conclusion, national media is taking note of which NFL teams will have to soon shift their focus to the offseason. Naturally, this leads to an abundance of mock drafts to gauge perspectives and possible scenarios.
We look at three of these mock drafts to see what national outlets are saying about the Jaguars, the team's most pressing draft needs and how they might fill them.
A common theme among mock drafts when it comes to the Jaguars has been the additions of defensive backs and wide receivers. This makes sense considering the departure of All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and a lack of wide receiver depth that has been exposed in recent weeks.
But which players do national outlets think are matches for Jacksonville? We examine, and give our takes on if we are in agreement or not.
Pro Football Focus released a mock draft this week and, like most, has Jacksonville slated to add a cornerback and wide receiver with the team's two first-round picks.
Jacksonville has a second first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the 2021 NFL Draft, as a result of trading Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams, and the PFF mock shows the flexibility Jacksonville has.
Pick No. 13: Alabama Cornerback Trevon Diggs.
"You want a press corner to replace Jalen Ramsey, this is your guy. Diggs looks like he should be on a basketball court — not a football field — with how ridiculously long and athletic he is. That length has led to three picks and five pass breakups this season. "
Pick No. 20: TCU Wide receiver Jalen Reagor.
"Reagor has once again had about as many yards left on the field by his quarterbacks as any wideout in the country. He’s come on strong after a slow start, though, with 348 yards and hauling in 7-of-9 contested catches in his last four games. "
My main point of disagreement with this is I think Jacksonville would be better off taking a defensive tackle like Derrick Brown or an offensive lineman like Tristian Wirfs as opposed to a cornerback. Jacksonville could use a Ramsey replacement for sure, but Tre Herndon has been serviceable enough to make this a position you can invest in later.
As for Reagor, his size and possession receiver traits would make him exactly the type of talent influx Jacksonville needs in their wide receiver room, as they do not have any dependable chain moving pass catchers sans DJ Chark.
CBS Sports also gifted the Jaguars a defensive back from the SEC in a recent mock draft, though they went in a slightly different direction from PFF.
Pick No. 13: LSU Safety Grant Delpit.
"The Jaguars could use another talented safety to form a young tandem with Ronnie Harrison. Delpit does it all at that position. "
Pick 20: Oklahoma Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
"After almost taking Lamb with their first selection, the Jaguars immediately call this selection in. Lamb would round out a pleasantly surprising receiver group in Jacksonville. "
Personally, I think that safety is way down the list of needs for Jacksonville. Ronnie Harrison has been the ultimate playmaker this season, while Jarrod Wilson has been a solid starter. Wilson has not changed the tide of many games and sometimes goes unnoticed, but he also does not make many egregious mistakes/ Taking a safety so early would feel a bit like a luxury pick to me.
As for Lamb, he is my favorite wide receiver in college football. He has tremendous ball skills and body control and runs terrific routes. I think he would be a much-needed addition in terms of a consistent pass catcher.
What do you think about the mock drafts? Where would you like to see Jacksonville invest in the first round this season? Sound off in the comments below!
