Report: Jaguars Have 'Shown Plenty of Interest' in Clemson's Bryan Bresee

The Athletic's Dane Brugler had an interesting Jaguars nugget in his latest mock draft.

When it comes to next week's NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars offer some of the most intrigue of any team picking in the back half of the first round. 

Returning 21 of 22 starters from last year's playoff game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jaguars don't have many glaring holes. For the first time in years, the Jaguars can truly go in any direction they want. 

One direction theorized by many has been along the defensive line. The most common position mocked to the Jaguars has been edge rusher, but could interior defensive line also be the pick? The Athletic's Dane Brugler thinks so, noting in his latest mock that there is one specific defender the Jaguars have shown interest in. 

"The Jaguars could go in a number of different directions here, including defensive tackle, where they have shown plenty of interest in Bresee," Brugler said. "The Clemson product dealt with injuries and personal tragedy over the past two seasons, so we have only seen flashes of what he can do. Jacksonville would be getting a steal here."

The Jaguars still have Roy Robertson-Harris and Foley Fatukasi under contract for the next several seasons, but Bresee is the type of high-risk, high-reward pick that Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has made in the past. 

Bresee is a former No. 1 overall recruit and five-star recruit, listed by 247Sports as the No. 18 recruit in their history of rankings. 

Bresee was offered by 35 programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida State, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, USC, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and others before eventually committing to Clemson.

Bresee was a star as a freshman, being named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and First-team All-ACC in 2020 after recording four sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble.

Bresee only played in four games in 2021 due to an ACL injury, but he was still such a force that he was named Third-Team All-ACC after 1.5 sack and three tackles for loss in limited action.

Bresee returned in 2022 and was named Second-Team All-ACC after he ended the season with 3.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and two pass deflections.