Trent Baalke: Jaguars Down to 4 Players at No. 1 Overall
The Jacksonville Jaguars are six days away from making one of the most important decisions in franchise history, kicking off the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 1 overall pick.
But the process is still just that to general manager Trent Baalke: a process.
“That’s still a work in progress," Baalke said with a smile when asked about the No. 1 overall pick during a pre-draft luncheon and media availability on Friday. Baalke later noted there are players the Jaguars are considering with the No. 1 pick, which the franchise holds for the second year in a row.
“We still have several meetings to go through, a lot of discussion between the coaching staff, the personnel staff. We’re continuing to dig up [information] and do research on these guys," Baalke said. "The pick doesn’t have to be made today, so there’s no sense in forcing it right now. We’ve got plenty of time. We’re ahead of last year’s schedule in terms of preparation. We’ve worked hard to get there. The decision doesn’t have to be made right now, so why make it?”
There has been rampant speculation on what the Jaguars could do with the No. 1 pick. The four most commonly mocked players to the Jaguars to this point have been Michigan edge defender Aidan Hutchinson, Georgia edge defender Travon Walker, North Carolina State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu, and Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal.
The betting odds have favored Hutchinson throughout the draft process, while Walker has skyrocketed in odds and public perception since a stellar showing in the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.
But while the media, the public and the oddsmakers debate the merits of who could be the No. 1 overall pick, Baalke makes it clear that the Jaguars see the board the way they see it, without caring about the potential perception of what their pick could result in
“Again, we worry about our board and how we have players valued. I really don’t pay much attention to what other people are thinking or saying because you don’t know," Baalke said.
"You don’t know what’s fact. You don’t know what’s fiction at this point. This is a unique period where I think there’s a lot of guys that are valued very similar, the quarterback position is what it is this year, so it’ll be interesting how the top ten play out when it’s all said and done.”
Baalke, hired to be the Jaguars general manager in 2021, said on Friday the Jaguars are close to 97% done with setting their board. This upcoming weekend won't see a lot of change come to the Jaguars' board and overall process, but the final meeting is coming up for the team to set their rankings and priorities for next week, when they hold 12 picks.
“It depends who you listen to. I’ve heard it all, it’s a deep draft, it’s not a deep draft, it’s light at the top. You hear everything. I think we have players valued at every round that we feel good about," Baalke said. "You have to have a little luck for the draft to fall the way you want it to fall, but you also have to put the right players in the right positions and value them correctly. I think we’re in a good place, like I mentioned earlier.
"I think we’ll let the board sit for the weekend. We’ll revisit it on Monday, but I think we’re probably 95-97 percent there relative to the board. We have one more major meeting we have to go through that could bump some guys up or move some guys down, but for the most part, the board’s set.”
