2020 NFL Draft: Jags acquire help at LT, TE with Trevor Lawrence in 3-round mock

After acquiring Trevor Lawrence, the Jags still need to spend some draft picks on offense and acquiring a LT could be on the table.

Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars will have a hard time finding a recent mock draft that doesn’t have Trevor Lawrence going to their team first overall. However, a lot of those same mock drafts have the Jags addressing safety, defensive tackle, or offensive tackle with the No. 25 overall pick, but that was not the case for Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network this week.

In his most recent mock, Cummings had the Jags going with Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with pick No. 25 after getting Lawrence first overall. While the Jags already have a notable linebacker duo between Myles Jack and Joe Schobert, Cummings stated that Owusu-Koramoah is more of a hybrid player who could be moved all over the defense.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

Much like the Jets, the Jaguars’ early selection gives them the flexibility to use their later first-round pick on the best player available. With plenty of needs and no more pressure to find the franchise guy, the Jaguars can simply add talent from this point out. And with the No. 25 pick in this 3-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft, Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is an excellent addition.

Owusu-Koramoah rests near the boundary of linebackers and safeties when it comes to size and usage, and that’s opened up a debate regarding what his role will be at the next level. To me, his versatility is what makes him such an exciting prospect.

Cummings added that Owusu-Koramoah is a player the Jags don’t have to find a concrete role for, but instead, he’s someone they could draft and figure out a way to maximize his athleticism and explosiveness.

For the fans unfamiliar with the 6-foot-1, 215-pound standout from Notre Dame, he’s similar to Isaiah Simmons when he was coming out of Clemson, who played a mix of nickel back, linebacker, and safety. With a need for speed in today’s pass-happy league, Simmons ended up going eighth overall in 2020.

Per Pro Football Focus, Owusu-Koramoah has been used in a somewhat similar fashion, taking 195 snaps on the defensive line, 433 in the box, and 680 in the slot. However, with the Jags needing help within their secondary it seems he could help them a lot there while moving around.

33. Jacksonville Jaguars: Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas

With Cam Robinson likely leaving through free agency, it’s imperative that the Jaguars don’t wait too long to address the tackle position. With Trevor Lawrence now rostered, this position takes on added importance.

Samuel Cosmi can develop into an effective blindside blocker opposite Jawaan Taylor. He’s 6-foot-7, weighs over 300 pounds, and has the necessary length/athleticism combination to be a high-level starter with some development.

In Round 2, the Jags took Texas offensive tackle Sam Cosmi, who would be their left tackle of the future. Cosmi, who is 6-foot-7, 300 pounds, has great movement skills, but will need to add more muscle to his frame and become a bit more technical. If he achieves those goals, Cosmi could be a fine NFL tackle. Something else worth noting is that Cosmi brings versatility to the table, playing both right and left tackle in college.

The selection of Cosmi would make a lot of sense as the Jags have a decision to make on Cam Robinson, whose contract expired in 2020. He’s not quite where a team would want a left tackle to be in terms of pass protection, but he could get there in one more season. That said, the Jags may look for an upgrade or tag him. If the franchise tag is used on Robinson, adding Cosmi could be a smart plan to give Robinson some competition, or an eventual successor.

With the 45th overall pick, the Jags were given Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth, who would address another big need. Freiermuth is a player the Jags could view as a top target of the draft with his former positional coach, Tyler Bowen on the staff.

The tight end position has long been an issue for the Jags. It was an area former general manager Dave Caldwell could never find an answer at. Taking a swing at Freiermuth would give Lawrence a massive 6-foot-5, 250 pound, target who flourishes in snagging contested balls and picking up yards after the catch. However, he’s often been off the board by pick No. 45, so if the Jags could snag him here, it would be a steal.

Lastly, in the third round, the Jags were slotted defensive end Carlos Basham Jr. from Wake Forest. He’s a player who impressed at the Senior Bowl after being the Demon Deacons’ main source of a pass rush the last two seasons. At 6-foot-3, 281 pounds, Basham offers good size on the edge and made a name for himself by utilizing a mix of power, technique, and effort.

With new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen coming in from Baltimore, the Jags could look to have a heavy front seven rotation. A player like Basham would give them that though some analysts believe he could go sooner as a late first-round pick or as a second-round selection.