The Jacksonville Jaguars joined the franchise tag party Tuesday by tagging a player for the second consecutive year. That player was offensive tackle Cam Robinson, who they franchise tagged in 2021, too.
With the former Alabama tackle set to return for his sixth season, many have started to speculate what they could do with the No. 1 overall pick. Before the tag deadline most felt the Jags would draft an offensive tackle like Evan Neal or Ikem Ekwonu, but the choice to retain Robinson gives the Jags a chance to take a pass rusher to start the draft now.
Tipico Sportsbook now has Michigan edge rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, as their favorite to be taken first overall as a result. He’s now ahead of Neal and Ekwonu with a -220 figure, while the tackles are tied with +270 figures.
Not only does this come after Robinson was tagged, but also after Hutchinson went to Indianapolis and handled his business at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.
In our last preview from two weeks ago, Neal led the way with a -140 figure. Hutchinson wasn’t too far behind with a +150 figure, while Ekwonu had a +425 figure. After those choices, it was a drop-off as edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Charles Cross had +3000 figures.
Hutchinson could likely remain the favorite from this point on, though free agency could change that. The Jags finished last season with the 23rd ranked defense, so an addition like him would help tremendously, though they could chase an edge rusher like Chandler Jones next week to help them get to the quarterback more frequently.