Would a Draft Day Trade Make Sense For Jaguars?

The Jacksonville Jaguars must have a successful NFL Draft. One recent mock draft has them stopping at nothing to ensure it happens.

Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The Pick Is In is displayed before Georgia defensive end Travon Walker is announced as the first overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars face a critical offseason and an even more critical NFL Draft. Jacksonville has made the changes they felt were necessary off the field, hiring a new general manager and head coach. They have made several signings early in the free agency period.

The Jaguars must do all they can to fix their significantly flawed roster if they hope to field a more competitive team next season. The quickest way to do so is to put together a productive NFL Draft class, starting with the No. 5 pick. Jacksonville must nail the upcoming draft.

Jacksonville is likely more than one offseason away from turning things around, but most turnarounds start with a productive NFL Draft or class of free agents. The Jaguars have had a quiet offseason in free agency, meaning they must reel in a quality draft haul.

Christian D'Andrea of USA TODAY recently released an updated mock draft with projections for every team in the league. D'Andrea has the Jaguars making a big trade, dealing third-round picks in this draft and next year's draft to the New York Giants for the No. 3 pick.

"The Giants need a lot of help. Edge rusher isn’t a priority. But like Hunter, Carter is an elite prospect with a Hall of Fame ceiling – the kind of player who can make you scrap drafting for fit and splurge instead. Except New York is pretty heavily invested in Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, making a trade back sensible," DeAndrea said.

"The Jaguars make the modest move up to grab Carter, who can bring chaos from the second level as Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker crumple the pocket from up front. While a defensive tackle like Mason Graham makes more logistical sense, there’s no such thing as too much homegrown pass-rushing talent. Carter’s presence would create more panicked throws and take the pressure off a beleaguered secondary," DeAndra said.

Jacksonville has many positions to address before the season starts. They may have too many positions to fill this offseason adequately. Still, they can vastly improve from the teams they have trotted onto the field over the past two seasons. They must take advantage of the opportunity.

While this is purely for mock draft purposes, it is fair to wonder what the cost would be for the Jaguars to move up and select one of the few blue-chip prospects in the draft class. If the Jaguars were to trade up at all from No. 5, then Carter seems like the only viable option.

Still, the Jaguars are more likely to stick at No. 5 and let a top-ranked player fall to them. If Carter somehow falls to No. 5, that is even better. But for now, draft day trade projections make little sense for the Jaguars as they march toward the NFL Draft.

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