2024 Offseason: Who Are the Best DL for the Jaguars’ Needs?
After a discouraging finish to the 2024 season, we have started to break down the Jaguars’ biggest needs heading into the 2024 off-season.
Now, we’ll take a look at which available players best fit the team's needs on the defensive line.
Defensive Line
Although edge rushers Josh Allen and Travon Walker both had career seasons in 2023, the interior defensive line is a spot that is in need of immediate improvement. Despite having two players record double-digit sacks, the Jaguars defense still had the eighth-fewest sacks out of all NFL teams this season. The defensive line’s lack of consistent pressure often left wide-open lanes for running backs to run through, forcing the Jaguars linebackers to overcompensate in run support.
1) Christian Wilkins
It's unfair to place a dollar-value amount on Wilkin’s potential impact on a team. His ferocious nature and willingness to lead vocally allows him to serve as a tone-setter for the rest of the defense. Wilkins is the type of player that offenses have to pinpoint when forming a game plan.
Whether he is eating up double teams, or manhandling one blocker at a time, Wilkins is an absolute force on the defensive line. According to Player Profile, his 10 sacks tied for 5th at his position. His 36 solo tackles were the 8th most. The former Tiger utilizes a variety of pass-rush moves (chop, club, pull). But sometimes, a simple bull-rush is all that he needs to end up in opposing backfields.
The former No.12 overall pick was a two-time National Champion and three-time All-American at Clemson. As a Tiger, he won the William V. Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the “Academic Heisman”. Although he entered the league with lofty expectations, his production shows that he lived up to the hype. As of 2023, Wilkins' run-stop win rate was the highest of all defensive linemen since entering the league in 2019.
At 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, the Clemson product is an athletic freak with ballerina-like coordination. At the NFL Combine, he completed the 20-yard-shuttle in 4.55 seconds, a time that is common for a linebacker or tight-end, not a massive nose tackle. According to NFL NextGen Stats, Wilkins’ “overall score”, at the combine (athleticism/production) ranked second at his position.
2) Justin Madubuike
Since entering the league in 2020, Madubuike has had the opportunity to play alongside several All-Pro defensive linemen (Calais Campbell, Justin Houston, Jadeveon Clowney). It seems like he has learned a thing or two. In a contract year, the Texas A&M product took a significant leap.
Madubuike tied for 1st at his position with 14 sacks this season. He was part of a Ravens defense that finished with 60 sacks this season, the most in the NFL. According to the Baltimore Banner, Madubuike attributes his improvement to a “mental breakthrough”. He says he added new pass-rush moves to his arsenal and worked to improve his physical conditioning. The fourth-year player finished among the top 10 at his position in solo tackles (#6), and tackles for loss (#4).
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, Madubuike possesses the combination of size and athleticism (4.83 40) to line up either as a nose guard or 3-technique. As soon as the ball is snapped, his explosive burst off the line of scrimmage puts offensive lineman at a disadvantage. This head-start may explain why Madubike has the 6th most quarterback pressures out of all defensive linemen this season.
Over the years, the former Aggie has demonstrated his durability. He hasn’t missed a single game in the past two seasons. Since spraining his knee during training camp as a rookie in 2020, Madubuike has not appeared on the injury report once. Jaguars fans saw what a depleted defensive line looked like during parts of this season. Madubuike would provide some much-needed stability.
3) Leonard Williams
Leonard Williams has been one of the league's top interior lineman for nearly a decade. As a former two-time first team All-American and Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of The Year, Williams had high expectations to live up to. He met these expectations immediately, making the All-Rookie Team and the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons.
Since being selected No.6 overall by the Jets in 2015, Williams has finished among the top-10 at his position in sacks three times. Aside from his superb athleticism (4.97 40 yard dash, 4.53 20 yard shuttle) the former Trojan excels at utilizing leverage to sneak past blockers. Although Williams is quite large (6-foot-5, 302 pounds), he maintains a low pad-level which requires extra effort and flexibility for those who try to block him.
Although he turns heads as a pass-rusher, he has proven to be just as valuable as a run-stopper. According to Player Profiler, Williams was the NFL's 15th best run-stopper this season; he has finished in the top-15 on 5 occasions since entering the league. His 37 solo tackles are the 7th most at his position. Williams’ mammoth 34” arms (longer than JJ Watt), allow him to have an expanded tackling radius, often wrangling ball-carriers with one arm while being blocked.
Although he is entering his 10th year in the NFL, Williams played in every game throughout 2023. Throughout his lengthy career, he has managed to avoid any serious injury. Williams has never played less than 10 games in a season since entering the NFL.
