Sometimes in the NFL Draft, things just fall right into your lap. It’s happened to the Jags before when they somehow came away with both Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack, two of the top prospects in the 2016 class. And in the latest two-round mock draft from the Draft Wire, the team catches a similar stroke of luck.
There isn’t much controversy with the first overall pick. Jags coach Urban Meyer has all but said the team is taking Trevor Lawrence there, and there’s no reason for this mock draft (or us) to believe that the team is deviating from that plan. But beyond that, the team could go in a number of different directions.
Many predict the Jaguars will go either receiver or defensive tackle at No. 25, but this mock draft has them taking a linebacker, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah from Notre Dame. Many consider him to be the second-best linebacker in the class behind Penn State’s Micah Parsons, and his versatility would give Jacksonville’s front seven another tremendous boost when added to the secondary and/or linebacking groups.
If the team goes defense at No. 25, it will almost certainly go offense with its next selection eight picks later at No. 33. Taking Lawrence is one thing, but they will have to build around him, as well. It’s with that spirit that this mock shows the Jags taking Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth with their first pick in the second round.
Some picks show the team using its second pick in the round at No. 45 on Freiermuth, but he’s fairly universally considered the second-best tight end in the class behind Kyle Pitts. That’s a position the Jaguars desperately need to address in this draft, and they simply can’t afford to risk him coming off the board.
Jacksonville has one more pick in the second round, and with it, this mock shows the team taking a player who some have projected it would use the No. 25 pick on: Alabama defensive tackle Christian Barmore. The Jaguars addressed the interior of the defensive line already this offseason with the additions of Malcom Brown and Roy Robertson-Harris, but could use one more addition after Tyson Alualu had a change of heart.
Barmore would give the Jaguars a player with the potential to develop into just that, and at great value, no less. It seems a bit unlikely he’s available at No. 45, but if he is, selecting him there would be a no-brainer for Jacksonville.