The Jacksonville Jaguars hold the No. 1 pick in this month’s 2022 NFL Draft, and they have plenty of options who could help them after a 3-14 season. Two of the options they could select are visiting the team on Monday in Michigan edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson, and North Carolina State left tackle Ikem Ekwonu.
Top NFL Draft prospects #Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson and #NCState OT Ickey Ekwonu are both visiting the #Jaguars today for a Top 30 visit. Both potential No. 1 picks. They’ll each visit the #Jets and #Giants soon, too.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2022
Hutchinson is the prospect who most believe will get the call from the Jags after four seasons with the Wolverines. He came on strong as a senior in 2021, garnering 62 total tackles and a career-high of 14 sacks. As a result, he received First-Team All-Big Ten honors, the Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year award, and many other accolades.
Initially, many thought the Jags could go with an offensive tackle in the draft to protect Trevor Lawrence, but the team franchise-tagged Cam Robinson early last month. They also signed a former All-Pro and Pro Bowl guard in Brandon Scherff in free agency. Still, that’s not to say they won’t select an offensive lineman first overall, but the moves did tip the scale in favor of Hutchinson.
As for Ekwonu, he’s a player who many associated with the Jags before they decided to tag Robinson. After a solid 2021 run with the Wolfpack last season, he was named a First-Team All-Pro for the Atlantic Coast Conference and won the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy.
Ekwonu has played both guard and tackle throughout his time with N.C. State, so the Jags could draft him and put him in the starting lineup as an exterior lineman or interior lineman. That would put them in position to replace three of their starting five linemen from last season as the team lost guards Andrew Norwell and A.J. Cann and center Brandon Linder this offseason.