Mock Draft Roundup: Brooks Gives the Jaguars a Quarterback in New Projection

'Tis the season for mock drafts, a yearly tradition in which media attempt to project how the second-biggest day on the NFL calendar plays out.

As we inch closer and closer to the 2020 NFL Draft on Apr. 23, we will be tracking how other national media outlets are projecting the Jacksonville Jaguars to attack the draft. With two first-round picks for the first time since 1998, the Jaguars are one of the most interesting teams to monitor throughout this offseason, and it is worth examining how different people view the team's needs and how to address them.

Jacksonville owns picks No. 9 and No. 20, with the former a result of their 6-10 record and the latter a result of the team trading Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams for a pair of first-round picks and one later round selection in 2021. In total, the Jaguars are owners of 12 picks over the draft's seven rounds.

In a new first-round projection released by NFL.com analyst and former NFL scout Bucky Brooks, the Jaguars take advantage of a quarterback sliding out of the top-eight despite needs throughout the rest of the roster.

How did Brooks map out the Jaguars' first round, and does it seem like a logical possibility for the draft to play out this way? We examined the picks to determine the answer.

No. 9: Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

"This should be a no-brainer for the Jaguars if Tagovailoa slides to this point. The Alabama standout is a significant upgrade over Gardner Minshew and gives the team a long-term option at QB1," Brooks wrote.

Brooks has Tagovailoa falling past the first eight teams, with Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert being the signal-callers drafted before him. As we creep closer to the draft, there has been more and more noise about Tagovailoa potentially slipping in the draft due to questions about his medicals, which have been exacerbated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic making it impossible for doctors employed by NFL teams to conduct checkups on Tagovailoa.

Even when factoring in the usual pre-draft B.S. aimed at affecting a guy's draft stock, it's gotten too hard to ignore the chatter that Tua Tagovailoa is destined to slide out of the top 10 https://t.co/RS7H8sEIrN
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 15, 2020

Tagovailoa's 2019 season was ended prematurely due to a hip injury that required surgery, but he has a lengthy history of injuries during his collegiate career which has drawn red flags for teams despite his immense and obvious talent. Do the Jaguars make sense as a team who can ignore these red flags and roll the nice?

Not quite. While it is true that Gardner Minshew II is an unproven starter and may not be the long-term answer, the Jaguars' brass isn't in the position of luxury where they could draft a first-round quarterback and justify him potentially sitting on the bench to start the year. Head coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell need to win in 2020 to keep their jobs, so it would be a bold and surprising move for them to take a risk on Tagovailoa instead of taking an impact player at another position of need.

The Jaguars could be in a prime position to trade down if Tagovailoa falls this far, however. It has already been speculated that the Jaguars are looking to move down in the draft, and a top-level quarterback, albeit one with injury concerns, falling to them could be enough to entice a quarterback-needy team to strike a deal with them.

No. 20: Iowa DE A.J. Epenesa

"GM Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone can re-establish the Jaguars' culture and solidify the frontline with a blue-collar defender like Epenesa," Brooks wrote.

A.J. Epenesa is one of the most productive and pro-ready pass-rushers in this year's draft class despite a disappointing NFL Scouting Combine earlier this offseason. While he won't wow with his athleticism like other defensive ends, he has a ton of power, quickness in short areas, versatility to play inside or outside, and technique that would be proficient for even a five-year veteran.

As a junior, Epenesa turned in a dominant season in the Big 10. In 2019, Epenesa recorded 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles. As a result, the 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive end earned second-team Associated Press All-American and first-team all-conference honors.

While most defensive ends win with speed around the edge, Epenesa is built more in the mold of players like Campbell or Cameron Jordan. He isn't an overly explosive athlete but he does a good job of finding momentum and rolling his weight before he engages with a lineman, and he then uses a vicious blend of technique and power to bully blockers. He can get to the quarterback from a variety of alignments, and he is also a dominant run defender on the edge.

For a Jaguars team that desperately needs to not only replace Calais Campbell but find more pass-rushers in general, it is hard not to consider the tough and gritty Iowa defensive end as an option. He could be a perfect replacement at the 'big end' spot while giving the Jaguars a versatile chess piece to disrupt the passer, something they currently lack in the front seven.

To read the entire mock draft from Brooks, click here.

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