When looking at the way the Jags have played in 2021, the team has a lot of needs heading into the 2022 offseason. Jacksonville desperately needs to add more offensive weapons to help quarterback Trevor Lawrence and also could afford some upgrades within the interior of the defensive line.
However, the latest mock draft from CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has the team attacking a different angle. One of the areas the team addressed the most this past offseason was the secondary. In addition to signing Rayshawn Jenkins and Shaquill Griffin in free agency, it drafted Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco.
But Wilson has the team targeting the secondary once more in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, predicting it will select Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton with the fourth overall pick.
The Jags have invested in defensive backs in recent drafts, though they’ve already traded 2020 first-rounder CJ Henderson. Either way, the defense remains a concern and Hamilton has a chance to be special.
Hamilton is an extremely talented safety, and while his season has been limited by a knee injury, he’s still one of the best safety prospects in a while. While Cisco was drafted with the hope of being the future at safety, he hasn’t seen much playing time this year, which has instead gone to Andrew Wingard.
If the Jags want to upgrade over both of them, they could do it with Hamilton. He likely won’t be available too far outside the top five, meaning Jacksonville’s season would need to continue on this trajectory to land him.
This defense is playing a lot better in recent weeks, but it still needs some work. Adding a potential superstar like Hamilton would certainly be a desirable outcome this offseason.