3 Players Jaguars Should Consider Trading Back Into 1st For

The 2025 NFL Draft is going to offer a bounty of options for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With 10 picks at their disposal, the Jaguars are positioned to take any kind of approach they want when the draft kicks off this week. They can hold firm and keep all 10 picks, move back for even more selections, or they could be aggressive and go after players they have strong convictions in.

It seems extremely unlikely the Jaguars trade up from No. 5 into the top-four, but what about later in the first round? Could the Jaguars pull off what they did in 2022 when they traded up from the No. 33 pick to the No. 27 spot, giving them a second first-rounder at the cost of the No. 33 pick, a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.

If the Jaguars wanted to make another similarly aggressive move, which prospects would make the most sense to go after?

For context, we are only considering players ranked between 20-30 on this year's consensus board. Here are three we think make sense.

Ohio State OL Josh Simmons

If I had personal positional rankings for this year's draft, I would have LSU's Will Campbell as the top offensive tackle in the draft. Ohio State's Josh Simmons would slot in right behind him, though, and I think some team is set to get great value if he falls due to his injury background. Simmons could go early in the first-round, but there also remains the chance his injury pushes him down the board.

If the Jaguars don't go with an offensive lineman at No. 5, they could move up from No. 36 to land the Buckeyes' left tackle and ensure they have a building block on the offensive line for the long-term. Regardless of where or when he starts, adding Simmons would change the dimensions of the entire offensive line room.

Oregon DL Derrick Harmon

I don't personally think Derrick Harmon should get out of the top-15. I think he is the second-best defensive tackle in the draft, and if I had to name one non-Mason Graham defensive tackle prospect who I think could actually have a better career than Graham, it would be Harmon. A former Michigan State transfer, Harmon put out dominant tape for Oregon in 2024.

Harmon has the size, quickness, explosiveness, length, power, and versatility that a high pick along the defensive line needs to have. He actually plays a lot like another pair of former Oregon Ducks (Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner). If they don't go Graham at No. 5, Harmon would be the next best thing.

Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka

If the Jaguars want to take a wide receiver early in the draft, I think Emeka Egbuka is the best fit. He would perfectly complement Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown and the Jaguars could use him in a variety of ways, giving him a chance to make an instant impact in Liam Coen's offense. The need for a receiver is legitimate, too.

There are other receivers ranked in the same range such as Luther Burden and Matthew Golden, but Egbuka brings the most pro-ready skill set. If the Jaguars want to take a big swing for a weapon, this is where they should start.

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