Early 2021 NFL Mock Draft Projects Franchise Quarterback, Left Tackle to Jaguars
Let us preface this with a point: it is entirely too early to put too much stock into mock drafts. That statement will be just as true in January as it is today. But while that fact remains, mock drafts are still a worthwhile exercise to examine because they can help paint a picture of possible scenarios that could play out in future drafts.
The start of the 2021 NFL Draft is over half a year away, but while most fans are gearing up for the 2020 season and reflecting on their club's latest draft class, teams are already preparing for next year's draft.
For the second year in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be a major player in the draft's first round. Thanks to the trade that sent All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams, the Jaguars own two first-round picks in 2021, giving them plenty of flexibility in the first round.
Jacksonville walked out of 2020's first round with two athletic defenders in cornerback CJ Henderson (No. 9 overall) and defensive end/outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson (No. 20 overall), but the team selected just one offensive player with its first four picks.
With the Jaguars using most of their top picks on defense in recent years, could they once again double-dip in the first round in 2021, but this time on offense? The latest early mock draft projection from The Draft Wire believes so.
In a mock written by Jacob Infante, the Jaguars were projected to use each of their first round picks on offense, with the first pick being Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields at No. 2 overall. Fields would be the highest-drafted quarterback in team history in this scenario, beating out former No. 3 overall pick Blake Bortles.
"Jacksonville did find surprisingly solid play out of sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew in 2019, but if they end up with the chance to take a quarterback with a higher ceiling, they will likely do so. Fields’ natural arm talent, reliable mechanics and dual-threat abilities make him an enticing target near the top of the first round," Infante wrote.
Just as the Dolphins were tied to Tua Tagovailoa for most of 2019, expect for the Jaguars to be mentioned in the same breath as Fields or fellow star collegiate quarterback Trevor Lawrence for most of 2020. The Jaguars have Gardner Minshew II as their starter, with Josh Dobbs, Mike Glennon and Jake Luton as backups, but most outside of Jacksonville are skeptical Minshew can take the job over a long-term basis. Inside Jacksonville, however, Minshew will be given all of the support and opportunities he needs for 2020.
Minshew had a solid rookie season after the Jaguars selected him in the sixth round of 2019's NFL Draft, completing 60.64% of his passes for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions while compiling a 6-6 record as a starter. It is still far from a certainty that he can be "the man" for the Jaguars in 2020 and beyond, however, as he still has to prove himself in that regard, though it appears he will have every single opportunity to do so.
In the event the Jaguars do pick No. 2 overall, it is hard to see the team not selecting a quarterback, though Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell could be an enticing option if the Jaguars are to stand pat with Minshew. The largest reason a quarterback would make sense for the Jaguars in this scenario is the fact that having the league's second-worst record would likely bring a new head coach and/or general manager into Jacksonville. Most regimes prefer to hit resets with "their guys" at quarterback, so it would be no guarantee that Minshew would see the field again in 2021 in this event.
But if Minshew plays well enough, and if enough things go the Jaguars way, then the Jaguars will not only not need a quarterback like Fields, but they would be unable to select him anyways due to a lower draft slot.
With Jacksonville's second pick, The Draft Wire opted to give them Alabama left tackle Alex Leatherwood, who was projected by most as a first rounder in 2020 before returning to school.
Left tackle is likely to be right near the top of Jacksonville's priorities in 2021 if current left tackles Cam Robinson and Will Richardson don't prove to be long-term answers at the position. Robinson was solid as a rookie but tore his ACL early in 2018, derailing his development as Jacksonville's blind side protector. He returned for 14 games last season, but there were frequent stretches of poor play and penalty-filled outings.
As for Richardson, he has only played two games of his career at left tackle. The third-year pro will be moving to the blindside on a full-time basis in 2020, but there is always the chance the Jaguars make a serious investment in the position next offseason.
Leatherwood himself is a behemoth of a man who has spent time at both left tackle and right guard, giving him a lot of flexibility as he moves to the NFL. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Leatherwood spent 2018 at guard before switching to left tackle on a full-time basis in 2019 to replace Jonah Williams, but he also spent time at tackle in place of an injured Williams as a freshman in 2017 and impressed in a big way.
