Jaguars Should Consider Drafting a Wide Receiver After First Round

The 2025 NFL Draft is fast approaching, with the selection process beginning in just over a week. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be one of the team's to watch in the first round as they hold the No. 5 overall pick in this year's draft.

General manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen are looking to make immediate improvements to the roster in their first year at their respective positions together. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham, and offensive lineman Will Campbell remain in contention for the Jaguars top pick, leaving Gladstone with a tough choice on April 24.

While the focus should be for a premier prospect with a top-five selection, one area the Jaguars could look to bolster is their wide receiver room. Coen has discussed in-depth as recently as Tuesday on how the ball will get to the Jaguars' playmakers outside of sensational wideout Brian Thomas Jr.

The team currently has Dyami Brown, Parker Washington, and Brenton Strange as the three other top pass catchers on the roster. These are players that will see the sun shine bright when the ball comes their way and all three have the skill sets to be impactful skill players in this year's offense.

"We're going to spread the ball out hopefully equally," Coen said in Tuesday's pre-draft press conference. "That was the nice thing about being last year with Tampa, we had to play a lot of different players in different personnel groupings."

Adding more depth and youth at wideout isn't and shouldn't be a major prioroity but it should be a priority, one that is needed with Brown on a one-year contract after a strong playoff run with Washington last season. There are a number of options to choose from in this year's draft class despite not having the high-end talent that has been seen in recent years.

Jacksonville may want to look at a play-style similar to Brown; a flanker Z receiver who can develop into a quality playmaker on the perimeter. Iowa State's Jayden Higgins is an option as well as Colorado State's Tory Horton in Day 3 of the selection process. Jaylin Noel, Higgins' teammate, would be a fun competitive option in the slot if Washington does not perform to expectations.

"I think there's some good, sound, solid players at a few different spots, where there's always some ball-in-hand athletes," Coen said Tuesday. "Also, a couple of guys that can win 50/50 balls. There are some really good football players all throughout this draft at the position."

The way Coen spoke of the wide receiver prospects could indicate their intentions of drafting one at some point in the draft. Which round they choose to do it will be based on how the board falls for them.

The more playmakers quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Coen have, the chances of an explosive offense and rebound Jaguars team in 2025.

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