Draft Expert Has Interesting Reason for Projecting Graham to Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone has a history of drafting these specific players as it is related to Mason Graham.

Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) and linebacker Byron Young (0) celebrate a sack against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Jaguars are selecting in the top five for the ninth time in 14 drafts, but this marks their first draft under new general manager James Gladstone. And ESPN draft expert Jordan Reid believes Gladstone’s prior drafts with Les Snead and the Rams indicate which player Jacksonville will take at No. 5 overall.

That player is Mason Graham, but not for reasons you might think. Reid explained his thought process with Robert Mays Tuesday on The Athletic Football Show.

“When I'm going through these possible picks that these GMs could make, I really try to match some of the tendencies that they have,” Reid explained. “And if you think about it, James Gladstone and what he created with the Rams, they always take players that are ready to play right away.

“And if you go back to last year's draft, Jared Verse and Braden Fiske were two of the great examples of players that we all knew that could come in and play right away. And I see that with Mason Graham.”

Reid said adding someone like Graham to the Jaguars’ defensive nucleus would complement Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen and last year’s second-round selection, defensive tackle Maason Smith.

“Adding Graham along that interior to be that linchpin in the middle,” Reid said, “I think that quickly becomes building a strength on a strength. And now, we've seen with the Rams, they like to build from the inside out and they like to have their defensive line as one of the strongest points of their entire team.

“So, I could see Gladstone really investing into that defensive interior really quickly. That's why I took Graham right here.”

As Mays noted, the prior Jaguars’ regime led by Trent Baalke seemed to lean toward drafting on potential. Walker, for example, was just 21 when Jacksonville took him No. 1 overall in 2022. After 3½ sacks as a rookie, he’s posted consecutive double-digit seasons the last two years.

Verse and Fiske were older, by contrast, with more college experience than Walker. And unlike Jacksonville’s 2024 class – in which Brian Thomas was the only player to start immediately -- the Rams got three starters from the draft last year (Verse, Fiske and center Beaux Limmer).

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