2021 NFL Draft: Early PFF Mock Slots Zach Wilson to Jaguars

With the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1-6 and set to start a sixth-round rookie at quarterback in Week 9, it isn't entirely unfair to say the focus around the Jaguars can begin to shift toward the future.

The biggest part of that future will be the 2021 NFL Draft. In said draft, the Jaguars will have double-digit draft picks, including four in the first two rounds.

The most important usage of those picks? How the Jaguars manage to turn them into a franchise quarterback, if that is the direction the Jaguars intend to go this offseason.

Most of the attention paid to college quarterbacks this season has been on Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State's Justin Fields. But there are other passers worth examining when it comes to potential top picks, as made clear in the latest mock draft from Pro Football Focus.

Typically, mock drafts this early in the year tend to be fruitless exercises. But there is value in examining them as the season progresses to see where players are projected to land as the college and professional seasons continue to march.

Such is the case with Pro Football Focus and their latest first-round mock draft for the 2021 NFL Draft. In it, PFF tackles the tough question of what the Jaguars should do if Lawrence and Fields are off the board by the time they are up to pick.

No. 3 overall: BYU QB Zach Wilson

"He’s the highest-graded passer in college football. He can win from the pocket as well as on the move. He’s got a quick release and can sling it from any platform. And he doesn't miss. Get used to it — Wilson is an elite quarterback prospect," Mike Renner of PFF wrote.

Slotting BYU's Zach Wilson to the Jaguars is a pick that likely isn't a common one in most early mock drafts today, but this should change as the draft nears closer. In many ways, we think PFF's selection of Wilson to the Jaguars is getting ahead of the curve and will be a pick we continue to see replicated.

As a sophomore in 2019, Wilson started nine games for BYU completing 199 of 319 passes for 2,382 yards. He also threw 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. These are pedestrian numbers, but Wilson has exploded onto the scene in 2020 and has catapulted himself to the top of the pecking order of quarterbacks after Fields and Lawrence.

Through seven games in his junior campaign, Wilson has completed 144/193 passes (74.6%) for 2,152 yards, resulting in 11.2 yards per attempt and 12.7 adjusted yards per attempt. Add in his 19 touchdowns and two interceptions, and Wilson has a passer rating of 198.7, an astronomical number.

Zach Wilson with a celestial dime without his feet set stepping up into the pocket. Gotta make that play for him. #BYU #BYUFootball #ESPN960 #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/VloMyss0QA
— Benjamin Criddle (@CriddleBenjamin) November 1, 2020

Considering the Jaguars will almost assuredly be in the quarterback market once April rolls around, Wilson makes perfect sense. There is certainly plenty of question about his level of competition and his massive leap from 2019 to 2020, but we saw Joe Burrow take a similar leap in 2019 before becoming the No. 1 overall pick.

The next quarterback off the board in PFF's mock draft was NDSU QB Trey Lance going to Washington at No. 7 overall. The reason Lance was slotted behind Wilson is the same reason the Jaguars should focus on Wilson over Lance: the NDSU passer is simply too raw to step into a quarterback job in 2020.

For Jacksonville's second pick, Renner gave the Jaguars some much-needed help in the secondary. The first pick of Wilson is obviously the highlight, but PFF's second pick for the Jaguars is notable in its own right.

No. 21 overall: TCU S Trevon Moehrig

"Moehrig is going to come away from the combine in Indy as arguably the most impressive-looking safety in the class at 6-foot-2, 202 pounds with legit explosiveness. That would be one thing if it hadn’t translated to the football field, but it has. He’s broken up 16 passes since the start of 2019 to lead all safeties in the country and picked off four more," Renner said.

With how much the Jaguars have struggled on defense this season, especially against the pass, selecting a player like Moehrig this early makes perfect sense. We gave the Jaguars a safety with a similarly high pick in our own mock draft in October.

Moehrig would ideally step into the strong safety role to replace Josh Jones. Jarrod Wilson has dealt with hamstring issues all season, but he has been among the team's best defenders when on the field. With the Jaguars having the league's worst pass defense in terms of DVOA this year, safety needs to be a priority within the first few picks.

For the rest of PFF's mock draft picks, click here.

How do you feel about these picks for the Jaguars? Is Wilson a franchise quarterback? Let us know below.