2022 NFL Draft: 5 Burning Questions Facing the Jaguars

What questions will the Jaguars have to answer as they prepare for the 2022 NFL Draft?

The day is almost here. In eight days, the Jacksonville Jaguars will kick off the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 1 overall selection, the first of 12 picks that will shape the Jaguars' present and future.

The pre-draft process has been an extensive one, with the Jaguars' front office, scouts and coaches working tirelessly over the last several months (and in some cases over the last year) to prepare for the 2022 class. 

With the draft on the Jaguars' doorstep, there are a number of pressing questions facing the team that we will see answered in due time. But which questions are the most burning and most significant, and what could the answers be?

Aidan Hutchinson or Travon Walker? 

The pre-draft process has seemingly built up to the Jaguars having to decide between two pass-rushers: Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson and Georgia's Travon Walker, the two players with by far the best odds to be the No. 1 pick. And with how things are shaping up in the public arena, this very much seems like a pick that will in large part define general manager Trent Baalke's tenure as general manager.

"This take from an AFC college scouting director sums up where Jags GM Trent Baalke is right now: 'Everyone knows he wants to trade it, and that tells me he’s not in love with any of them'," SI.com's Albert Breer wrote last week.

"Multiple rival executives raised to me that Baalke is also sensitive to a perception problem he and his team have right now, and that he, and the team, will get roasted if they do anything other than take Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson or get a king’s ransom for the pick." 

There are legitimate questions about whether the Jaguars' coaching staff would be on board with taking Walker over Hutchinson since one player is so much further away from making an instant impact than the other, but it at the very least seems like a real possibility. Just going off momentum and media buzz, the Jaguars -- and specifically Baalke -- seemingly love Walker's potential, and they likely aren't the only team who thinks he is worthy of consideration with the top pick in a weak draft class at the top that lacks a consensus No. 1 prospect;

The Jaguars will have to be the team that ultimately decides between the two players. They can take the safe pick everyone expects and most others would make, or they can roll the dice on potential and hope they end up looking like the smartest team in the room. Either way, it appears the Jaguars are down to these two options.

Can the Jaguars afford to pass up on an offensive lineman at No. 1?

The players with the next best odds to be the No. 1 pick after Hutchinson and Walker are North Carolina State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu and Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal. The Jaguars seemingly already have their starting left tackle for 2022 (and potentially beyond) in veteran tackle Cam Robinson, who was franchise-tagged in March. But does Robinson's franchise tag really mean the Jaguars can afford to pass up taking an offensive player to support Trevor Lawrence's development?

That is the question the Jaguars have to answer ahead of next Thursday. Conventional wisdom says the Jaguars already have enough investment in left and right tackle to warrant taking a pass-rusher at No. 1, but is it the smart move to not build around Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick after the Jaguars failed to support him last year?

According to FanSided's Matt Lombardo, there is one AFC coach who believes it is widely known that head coach Pederson wants to pick an offensive player with the draft's top pick.

“They could easily go pass-rusher, but it’s the worst kept secret that Doug Pederson wants to go offense with that pick," an anonymous AFC coach told Lombardo. "The problem is, I’m not sure there’s a No. 1 overall offensive tackle in this class, let alone one worth the No. 1 overall pick."

The Jaguars will be one of the NFL's most scored teams if they fail to develop Lawrence. Few will place the blame at Lawrence's feet, especially after the mess the Jaguars put him in as a rookie. As a result, the Jaguars need to consider whether the best move for Lawrence's development is actually the best move for the team.

Is wide receiver a top need on Day 2?

The Jaguars clearly aren't taking a wide receiver at No. 1 overall, but the No. 33 pick has been deemed a sweet spot by many for them to take a wide receiver to improve Trevor Lawrence's pass-catching group. But do the Jaguars themselves see wide receiver as such a pressing need after a free agency period where they added three starting skill players to the offense and only lost DJ Chark?

Between Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault, and Evan Engram as a jumbo slot, the Jaguars can convince themselves they have a wide receiver room they can win with today. They also have Jamal Agnew -- who the team is high on as a receiver after his development last year -- and Laquon Treadwell, who the team re-signed this offseason after he had a career year in 2021.  

The Jaguars will have to decide whether No. 33, No. 65 or No. 70 are ideal spots to take a wide receiver. If they don't take a receiver at any of those selections, then a Day 3 prospect is likely just a depth and special teams player, with the Jaguars potentially re-doing the Jalen Cam strategy from a year ago. 

The Jaguars ignored receiver throughout most of last year's draft, and this was after only adding Marvin Jones in free agency. With the same general manager in place, can they be expected to do the same this year after being more active in free agency than in 2021?

Will the Jaguars find a starting left guard? 

As things stand today, the Jaguars figure to have four positions figured out along the offensive line. Robinson will start at left tackle, Tyler Shatley will start at center, free agent addition Brandon Scherff will start at right guard, and Jawaan Taylor and Walker Little will battle it out for the right tackle position during training camp. 

That leaves just the left guard position, a spot left vacant by Andrew Norwell departing in free agency in March. The Jaguars have a host of internal options to try at the position in Ben Bartch, Will Richardson and the loser of the right tackle battle between Little and Taylor. But could they look to the draft to find a starter at the position? 

Guard is one of those positions where even mid-round picks can compete to start as rookies. The Jaguars could look to take a guard on Day 2 and instantly slot him in a starter, or they could invest a Day 3 pick to compete with the aforementioned names and add depth to the line. What the Jaguars do through the draft's first three rounds will tell us how they view the position.

How early do the Jaguars need to take a linebacker?

Another position the Jaguars are seriously lacking at in terms of Week 1 starters is linebacker. The Jaguars have a clear starter in free agent addition Foyesade Oluokun, but the Jaguars still need to find out who their second starting linebacker is. They also need to add significantly more depth overall to a position that has seen a number of players depart.

The linebackers on the Jaguars' roster entering offseason workouts are now free-agent signee Oluokun, Shaquille Quarterman, Chapelle Russell, Tyrell Adams, and Elijah Sullivan. Only one of those players has been a consistent starter at the NFL level and there questions about if the Jaguars have any true depth. 

Does this mean the Jaguars need to take a linebacker such as Quay Walker or Christian Harris at No. 33? Or can the Jaguars afford to wait until round three and later in a deep linebacker class? The Jaguars likely don't think they have a second starter on the roster as of today, but the question of exactly how early they need to address the position is looming.