ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay has released an updated first-round mock draft, and he has the Jacksonville Jaguars addressing key areas of need on both sides of the ball with their two first-round picks.
Jacksonville picks first overall and again at No. 25, a pick received as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade with Los Angeles. Though the selection at 25 could be intriguing, there isn’t much mystery surrounding who the Jaguars will take with the first pick.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
Another mock draft, another Lawrence-to-Jacksonville projection. You won’t be seeing much of anything else, and for good reason. The 6-foot-6 big-armed quarterback has all the traits you want in a franchise guy, and he would be the focal point of what new coach Urban Meyer hopes to build. Only Washington has a lower Total QBR over the past three seasons than the Jaguars’ 41.6, but Lawrence has finished in the top 10 among all FBS quarterbacks in that category in every season of his college career. He will throw for scouts on Friday ahead of surgery on his non-throwing shoulder this spring, but consider him a lock for the top pick at this point.
Selecting Lawrence is a no-brainer for Jacksonville. The team has been desperately searching for a long-term answer at the quarterback spot since Mark Brunell’s departure in 2003, and Lawrence is perhaps the best prospect at the position since Andrew Luck in 2012.
He has the potential to be a franchise-altering player, but for that to come to fruition, Jacksonville will need to build around him. For that reason, many expect that the Jags will elect to use their second pick for offensive help, specifically an offensive lineman or receiver. But McShay has them addressing a different (but equally pressing) need.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (via LAR)
Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington
In theory, the Jags could immediately give Lawrence either an offensive lineman or a receiver outside, but my guess is they split their two first-rounders on offense and defense. The secondary has to be sorted and the run defense needs shoring up. We’ll look to the latter after Jacksonville was gashed for 153.3 rushing yards per game in 2020, the third most in the NFL. And if your argument is that much of that came in garbage time with opponents holding big leads, look no further than the 4.7 yards per carry allowed, a bottom-five number. Onwuzurike, an opt-out who impressed at the Senior Bowl, is a disruptive 3-technique with lots of quickness up the middle.
The Jags struggled mightily to defend the run game last season, and adding a player like Onwuzurike, who stands at 6-foot-3 and is pushing 300 pounds, could be a big help. He chose to opt-out of the 2020 season after finishing the previous year as a First Team All-Pac 12 selection.
He was on the watch list for every defensive trophy he was eligible for heading into this past season, and he had 45 tackles (six for loss) with two sacks in 2019.
Though he may not be the flashiest first-round pick, his selection would give Jacksonville immediate-impact help on the defensive line.