2023 NFL Draft: Peter King Mocks a Pass-Rusher to Jaguars

There are few mock drafters that have nailed the Jaguars' first-round history in recent years like Peter King. Could he strike correctly again this season?

That is the question after King's latest mock draft for NBC Sports' Football Morning in America column.

King, who projected Travon Walker in 2022 and CJ Henderson in 2020, has the Jaguars going in a direction that Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke would likely approach with open arms: Iowa pass-rusher Lukas Van Ness.

"The interesting thing when considering a pick for the Jags is that they’ve got a good roster, maybe the best all-around in the AFC South. There’s no urgent need. Tight end Michael Mayer’s a strong consideration here, but Doug Pederson seems to have unlocked the potential of Evan Engram, so I’m going with a player GM Trent Baalke will like because of his fierce competitiveness and pass-rush traits," King

said

.

"Odd career. He started zero games at Iowa but played the most snaps of any outside rusher in the last two years."

If Van Ness were to slip to the Jaguars in any scenario, it is hard to see them passing for a number of reasons. For one, Van Ness is the type of powerful, long, versatile, and athletic pass-rush Baalke has targeted in the past. He also comes from a program that Baalke has a lot of respect for. Add in the Jaguars' need for an inside/outside pass-rusher to help replace Arden Key, and Van Ness is more or less a perfect fit for the Jaguars.

“From the coaching side, obviously, that’s an area we’ve got to improve. We do feel like we have the men in the locker room to get it done. Going into year two will make a big difference in the scheme of things. We’re comfortable there, and obviously, as we build our roster, getting closer to the regular season, we’ve got to make sure that we have the right guys at the end of the day," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said last Thursday.

"So with that being said, with Buck (Defensive Line Coach Brentson Buckner), Rory (Assistant Defensive Line Coach Rory Segrest), and Shuey (Outside Linebackers Coach Bill Shuey) and working with the guys this spring, being able to put them in positions that we feel as a staff can help us generate more pass rush. We look forward to that. It’s a challenge for us, but we know that’s an area that must be addressed.”

An Illinois native, Van Ness was ranked a three-star recruit by 247Sports as a member of the 2020 recruiting class. Van Ness was ranked the No. 1,063 recruit in the country, the No. 52 strong side defensive end, and the No. 21 recruit in his state.

Van Ness was a popular recruit in terms of the volume of scholarship offers, ultimately picking up 29 offers before deciding on Iowa. Van Ness committed to the Hawkeyes over offers from programs such as Air Force, Army, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, and Wyoming.

Van Ness was redshirted in 2020 but began to see snaps at defensive tackle during the 2021 season, recording seven sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. He saw his role increase in 2022 as he moved to edge rusher, recording six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss and earning second-team All-Conference honors.

The biggest question for this scenario is whether Van Ness would slip to the Jaguars. He has been connected to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 10 overall, and then there is an abundance of teams picking between No. 11 and No. 23 with a need for a pass-rusher. But if the Jaguars see a chance to nab the athletic Van Ness, they would probably be wise to take it.

Add us as a preferred source on Google