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Which Prospects Could Be Targets if the Jaguars Trade Back in the 1st round?

If the Jaguars want to move back from No. 25 overall and acquire more picks to help their rebuild, which players make sense for them to target?
John Shipley|
Which Prospects Could Be Targets if the Jaguars Trade Back in the 1st round?
Which Prospects Could Be Targets if the Jaguars Trade Back in the 1st round?

Few things are as valuable to a rebuilding team as draft picks, especially in the case of the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

While the Jaguars added 12 new players in free agency and drafted 12 rookies last year, there are countless holes on the 1-15 roster that have to be addressed to rebuild the organization from scratch. 

We have already gone over who the Jaguars could potentially take a look at if they wanted to move up from No. 25 overall, but what if the Jaguars take faith in the value of draft picks and strike a deal to move back in the first round? 

If the Jaguars do opt to move back from No. 25, they will have quite a few options. While an offensive playmaker makes the most sense for the Jaguars' second first-round pick, moving back would give them extra draft ammunition and more flexibility with their first-round pick. 

So, which players would make sense as potential options in this scenario? We break down a few names here.

TCU S Trevon Moehrig

It is tough to peg where TCU's Trevon Moehrig will land in April's draft. For many analysts, he is considered the draft's top safety, but that doesn't always mean a first-round selection is impending. The first safety drafted in 2020 wasn't until pick No. 36 when the Giants took Xavier McKinney. McKinney was the seventh defensive back drafted. With that said, the previous eight drafts each had at least one safety drafted in the first round. It is truly a difficult position to judge stock and value unless the player is seen as a top-tier prospect like Jamal Adams, Minkah Fitzpatrick, or Derwin James. 

If the NFL thinks this year's safety class is better in terms of depth than it is in terms of talent at the top, that could push a player like Moehrig down the board. He is an immensely talented player who is more likely than not going to be the first safety drafted (UCF's Richie Grant could surprise and be taken first), but there is always a chance he is on the board after pick No. 25. While the Jaguars addressed their safety position in free agency by signing Rayshawn Jenkins and re-signing Josh Jones, but each of those players project as strong safeties. The Jaguars need a playmaker with range, and that is Moehrig. If safeties are forced to wait to hear their names called later this month, then Moehrig is likely the best option in a hypothetical trade back.

Tulsa LB Zaven Collins

There may not have been a more decorated defender in 2020 than Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins. He has terrific physical tools that allow him to be scheme versatile and give him the value to impact a defense in multiple ways. And while the Jaguars are set at all four linebacker positions in their 3-4 defense, there aren't any schemes that Collins' versatile skill set fits better than Baltimore's and Jacksonville's. This would be about adding playmaking talent to a defense that badly needs it, even if linebacker isn't a top need.

Collins' draft stock is a bit hard to get a feel for since he is such a unique linebacker, but he was truly an elite defender in 2020. He recorded 53 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), and two pass breakups. As a result, the athletic and hulking linebacker won the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Awards. He was also recognized as a first-team Associated Press All-American and as the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. If the Jaguars want to trade back and take the best player still available, there is a good chance it could be Collins standing above the rest. 

Florida WR Kadarius Toney

Taking a Florida Gator in the first round would seem like the 100th rendition of déjà vu for the Jaguars' fan base, but there are lots of reasons to think Kadarius Toney and the Jaguars are a fit in the first round -- especially in the event of a trade back. Not only is Toney a favorite of longtime Urban Meyer lieutenant and current Gators head coach Dan Mullen, but Toney is a logical fit for a Jaguars offense that needs to add juice to its roster. 

The only current burner on the Jaguars' offense who has made a big impact at the NFL level before is DJ Chark. The Jaguars have a bit of a crowded receiver room after free agency additions of Marvin Jones, Phillip Dorsett, and Jamal Agnew, but Jones is the only one who should play a prominent role. Toney's combination of agility, explosiveness, and ability to create after the catch is something the Jaguars otherwise don't have on the offense. Add in the fact Tony has already played different roles (a slot-heavy one and as a gadget player) that the Jaguars need help at, and his projection to the Jaguars' offense is relatively easy.

Clemson RB Travis Etienne

Before the pitchforks come out, let me preface this by saying I personally wouldn't remotely consider the idea of a rebuilding team coming off a 1-15 season to take a running back in the first round. With that said, it seems like a move this regime would at least give some thought to considering what they have said in the past and how both Meyer and Trent Baalke have built teams in college and the NFL. Both men have placed a strong emphasis on having top to bottom depth at running back, but the Jaguars were a one-man show at the position entering the season. 

The Jaguars addressed that depth to an extent in free agency by adding veteran running back Carlos Hyde, but the Jaguars have already said they want to add more explosiveness to the running back room. As good as James Robinson is -- and he is really good -- it can't be argued that there are other options out there that could add more speed to the offense. Clemson's Travis Etienne is an elite pass-catching back who creates highlight plays at will when the ball is in his hands, and he just so happens to have a great dynamic with future Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. 

LSU WR Terrace Marshall

Terrace Marshall may not fit the mold of a shifty and smaller slot receiver, but he showed in 2020 that he can excel out of the slot, an area the Jaguars can still add to. With him proving to be able to play both outside and inside, and having legitimate 4.38 40-yard dash speed, Terrace Marshall is a logical option for the Jaguars to consider if they move back from No. 25. 

If the Jaguars want to set Lawrence up for success, they would be smart to load him up with playmakers, even if at excessive levels. Marshall is only 20-years-old, is nearly 6-foot-3, and just posted one of the truly elite pro day exhibits of any receiver in recent memory. He is a bit forgotten due to Justin Jefferson's and Ja'Marr Chase's places in LSU's offense in 2019, but he is a high-ceiling talent who can take the top off the defense and grow in multiple roles in the offense.

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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

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