With the Jacksonville Jaguars sitting at 2-11 and now officially eliminated from playoff contention, there isn’t much that can be done to salvage what has been a disastrous first season for coach Urban Meyer. The team is all but guaranteed to pick in the top five yet again, and with all the needs the Jags have, there are a lot of directions it could go this time around.
If the season ended today, the Jaguars would pick second overall, meaning they could have the chance to take one of the pair of elite edge rushers projected to go first and second in Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. The latter has been considered the likely first overall pick all season, but a late push from Hutchinson (who was a Heisman finalist and finished second in voting behind winner Bryce Young) has put that in dispute.
The latest mock draft from ESPN’s Todd McShay has Hutchinson going to the Lions with the first pick, followed by Thibodeaux. But instead of using the current draft order, ESPN based the order on its Football Power Index, giving the Jaguars the third pick. That leaves a few great options for them, but McShay has the team taking the best offensive lineman in the draft in Alabama’s Evan Neal with the third pick.
The Jaguars are currently tasking two underwhelming offensive tackles — Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor — with protecting QB Trevor Lawrence, and as many as three of their starting linemen could be free agents in March. The offense has scored fewer than 20 points in seven straight games, and Jacksonville has been below average in both pass block win rate (56.3%) and run block win rate (69.3%) on the year. Neal, meanwhile, is the clear top tackle in the class, and he brings versatility, the ability to ride speed rushers past the quarterback and the range to help get running backs James Robinson and Travis Etienne Jr. (remember, the Jags’ other 2021 first-rounder returns next season) extra yards at the second level.
Neither Robinson or Taylor has been especially impressive this season, but Taylor has struggled especially, making the chances fairly high that the Jags will look to move on, potentially to 2021 second-round pick Walker Little. But Neal would present an immediate starting option, and if the team decides not to re-sign Robinson, who is currently playing on the franchise tag and would likely require a large deal to keep around, the Jaguars could take their chances on Neal and Little in 2022.
Neal is a three-year starter who was named to the First Team All-SEC for his efforts in 2021. He’s a former five-star and can’t-miss talent, and though it wouldn’t be the most exciting move, it would give the Jags a potential elite tackle prospect to build the offensive line around in the coming years.