With the Jacksonville Jaguars' bye week here, let's take a look ahead to the 2027 NFL draft.
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports recently put together an early mock draft with the Jaguars addressing the defensive side of the ball.
Now, to state the obvious, a lot will change between now and the actual NFL draft, but what this exercise does is provide us with some players to keep our eyes on for the remainder of the college season and into the pre-draft process.
With the 27th pick, Edwards had the Jaguars take Cal safety Kingston Lopa.
"Kingston Lopa is a tall safety who plays with great range and has managed unimpeachable ball production in a short time as a starter for a rudderless California team," Edwards wrote. "Lopa has to do a better job tackling,
but everything Liam Coen and his coaching staff have touched has turned to gold."
This season, Lopa has displayed really impressive ball production, logging five interceptions and one pass breakup through only six games. This includes a three-interception performance against Syracuse.
Safety is a position that we've seen the Jaguars prioritize during GM James Gladstone's first two drafts. In 2025, he took Caleb Ransaw and Rayuan Lane, and then drafted Jalen Huskey this past April.
Unfortunately, Ransaw has dealt with injuries, while Lane has primarily been a special teams contributor, and Huskey has mostly been inactve.
Antonio Johnson, meanwhile, is a free agent in 2027, while Eric Murray will be entering the final year of his deal, although the Jaguars do have an out.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars prioritize defense in bye week 2027 NFL mock draft
