Early in the offseason, many predicted that the Jacksonville Jaguars would select Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal with the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. However, after the NFL Combine and the start of free agency, it has appeared that the ship has sailed in large part.
Most draft experts, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., who released a new mock draft on Tuesday, expect Jacksonville to take Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson with the first pick in the draft next month. As a result, it caused an immediate change from his previous mock, which had N.C. State’s Ikem Ekwonu going first.
When I did my previous mock draft, before the combine, I started off my write-up for this pick with this: “Offensive tackle or edge rusher here? I don’t think the Jaguars are set either way.” Well, things change quickly in the NFL. Jacksonville decided to franchise tag left tackle Cam Robinson for the second straight year, taking away its need for a top-tier blindside protector (at least for a year) for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Now, Hutchinson is the heavy favorite to go to the Jags — barring a desperate team trading up.
Hutchinson, my top-ranked prospect in this class, could get double-digit sacks playing on the other side of Josh Allen in new coordinator Mike Caldwell’s defense. The Jaguars made a few big-money moves in free agency, but there’s still a huge hole at defensive end.
Hutchinson would be a solid choice for the Jaguars because they need a pass rusher to pair with defensive end Josh Allen. This pick makes sense because Jacksonville didn’t address this need in free agency, which is a strong indicator of its plans for the NFL draft.
Kiper said his ability to wreck an opponent’s game plan is similar to Nick and Joey Bosa on ESPN Tuesday. That’s some pretty high praise for Hutchinson.
It’s also possible the Jaguars could trade down, and I’m sure they will at least listen to offers. But it’d be surprising to see any team trading anything worth accepting because of the weak quarterback draft class this year.