Not much has gone right for the Houston Texans over the past two years, but they can always count on the Jacksonville Jaguars for a win.
The Jaguars possess the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Jacksonville already has their budding franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, taken with the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft. They don’t need a quarterback, which pushes prospects such as Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Liberty’s Malik Willis, and Ole Miss’ Matt Corral further down the board.
According to an interview with 1010XL’s Hays Carlyon via Tyler Nettuno of the Jags Wire, new coach Doug Pederson believes that success in the entire sport of pro football is determined by what happens between the offensive line and defensive line.
“I still believe that games are won and lost in the trenches, honestly,” Pederson said when asked about the importance of protection up front. “You’re not going to have a passing attack if you can’t protect the quarterback. I believe in throwing the football, I think you throw to score and run to win. That’s kind of my philosophy in this deal.”
Would the Jaguars take an offensive lineman with their top pick in the draft just to find protection for Lawrence?
If Jacksonville went that route, it would push top pass-rushing prospects Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan and Kayvon Thibodeaux from Oregon further down the board. The Detroit Lions stand between Jacksonville and Houston, and their selection of either pass rusher would give the Texans a choice to address the pass rush or continue to fix other parts of the roster.
The Jaguars don’t need a pass rusher in the draft either. Former 2019 first-round edge defender Josh Allen still provides support for Jacksonville off the edge with 7.5 sacks last season and 20.5 sacks over his 40-game career. Like most players in Jacksonville, Allen has been lost in the soup of dysfunction that has mired the Jaguars the past two seasons.