Everyone always says that the NFL Draft starts in the late second round anyway. Who needs a first round pick?!
Jokes aside, the Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing for one of the team’s most interesting looking drafts in the organization’s history. Instead of having a top-10 first round pick, or first round pick in general, the Jags won’t pick until No. 56 in the second round. If the Jags don’t acquire a first rounder prior to April 23, it will be the first time in team history the team doesn’t draft in the first round.
With the newness of this year’s draft setup for Jacksonville, we will take a look at what draft pundits think the Jags should be towards the end of the second round. Cleveland owns the rights to the Jags first rounder this year as part of the Travis Hunter trade, so Liam Coen and James Gladstone will have to sit tight for a while before beginning their second draft as a tandem.
In a mock written at the start of the month, ESPN’s Matt Miller links Miami cornerback Keionte Scott to the Jags.
For anyone that watched the Hurricanes this season, they will recognize Scott based half in part on his sack production. The former Auburn Tiger had two sacks against Texas A&M in the opening round of the College Football Playoff, part of his five total sacks this year. And that is to say nothing of his talent as a pass defender, logging five passes defended and two picks this season.
Miller thinks he would fit nicely paired with the upside that Travis Hunter provides as a corner. Scott would likely be the replacement for Jourdan Lewis, who is entering the second year of a three-year deal for the 30 year old.
Scott is an electric slot corner with elite blitzing skills and the speed to close on the ball. He’s smart and instinctual in coverage, and pairing him with Travis Hunter next season would be fun.
In Miller’s mock, Scott would be the eighth corner taken off the board. The six-foot, almost 200 pound corner played three years at Auburn before his best college season last year at Miami. If Jacksonville wants to play with an aggressive defense in mind – a defense that saw at the end of last year it needs help getting to the quarterback – drafting the best possible blitzing defensive back cannot hurt.
In another early February mock, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter linked Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez to the Jags. This pick may be made with the departure of Devin Lloyd in mind, having the Jags take the best available linebacker in the second round.
Outside of having a great Minshew-esque mustache, Rodriguez tied the NCAA record for most forced fumbles in a season with seven this past season.
Rodriguez was named the Chuck Bednarik award winner for being the nation’s best defensive player along with winning the Butkus Award for being the nation’s best linebacker specifically. He also won the Lombardi Trophy and finished fifth overall in Heisman Trophy voting. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year led Tech to a Big 12 Championship and a spot in the CFP.
Why Rodriguez is available at pick 56 might be based on the fact he will be 24 in September and played five years in college. Rodriguez participated in the Senior Bowl and was invited to the Scouting Combine starting on Feb. 26. If there were NFL comps for the 6-1, 235 pounder it would probably be someone like Myles Jack or Alex Anzelone.
Reuter also has a mock for the third round, where he sees the Jags picking up Arizona corner Treydan Stukes along with fellow Wildcat safety Genesis Smith. Rounding out the third of three third rounders, Reuter has the Jags taking Ohio State tight end Max Klare.
Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness
Strengthening the offensive line is where Pro Football Focus thinks the Jags go in the second round.
With a recent ESPN mock seeing Walker Little traded to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-rounder, the Jags get a cheaper and younger depth piece by drafting Northwestern offensive lineman Caleb Tiernan.
Tiernan finished his graduate season with Northwestern starting all 13 games in Evanston at left tackle. He earned All-Big Ten Second-Team honors. Tiernan graded out with a 84.3 pass blocking grade according to PFF, which ranked top-10 nationally and third in the Big Ten. If Little is gone, the Jags need a new left tackle to sit behind Cole Van Lanen. Tiernan would be a dream option, especially given his enormous frame (6-7, 325 pounds).
McGuinness’ mock goes into the third round as well. He thinks the Jags make a trade up to the 81st pick to select FSU defensive lineman Darrell Jackson Jr. The Jags round out the third round with a selection of safety Zakee Wheatley of Penn State and Texas tight end Zack Endries.
Pro Football Network’s Alec Elijah
For our last initial look into the second round, we see the Jags pick another lineman in Pro Football Network’s Alec Elijah’s mock.
With the 56th pick, Elijah thinks the Jags go with Oregon offensive lineman Isaiah World. World is massive like Tiernan at 6-8, 318 pounds. Before he ended up at Oregon as a transfer from Nevada, World was the #2 ranked transfer prospect in the country. Despite helping lead the Ducks to one of the most potent offenses in the regular season, earning quarterback Dante Moore a Heisman Trophy finalist title, World and his team struggled in the CFP. Those struggles may scare teams away from him or may be the reason he is available at 56 anyway.
