It's mock draft season y'all. I, for one, am pumped up to share with you my first mock draft of the season.
Keep in mind, this isn't what I think the Jaguars will do, but more so what I would do if I were the boss man. It seems likely that Tom Coughlin will still be in place as the EVP when the draft comes along at the end of April, but who will be the GM, the offensive coordinator, etc. remains murky at best. Another thing to remember: The draft process is in its infancy. The Senior Bowl and the combine will have a big impact on where players end up when things are all said and done. I will put together at least four mock drafts leading up to the draft in April. My final mock could look completely different than this one depending on who is in place in the Jaguars front office and what the Jaguars decide to do in free agency/if they pull the trigger on any trades. The Jaguars have a ton of draft ammunition with five picks in the first four rounds! If they hit on a few of those picks their long term outlook could be much different that the doom and gloom coming out of Jacksonville right now. As of this moment they'll have the fifth pick in the first round, the fourth pick in the second, and the third pick in the third round. They'll have an additional third round pick later on that was acquired from the Rams in the Dante Fowler Jr. trade. The final pick that I will mock is the Jaguars fourth round pick which is the fifth pick of that round. With all that said, let's get to it! Round 1. #5 Overall Dwayne Haskins, QB, OSU Haskins checks off a lot of boxes. Size: Check Laser Rocket Arm: Check Pocket Presence: Check Pocket Mobility: Check Smarts: Check Accuracy: Check Touch: Check The kid is a fantastic prospect. Assuming the redshirt sophomore ends up declaring for the draft, he is my number one QB, without question. Unlike the Jaguars last first round pick at QB, Haskins is a natural thrower of the football. He only started one year at OSU, but he developed in multiple ways throughout the season. It was always clear that he had a HUGE arm and wondrous accuracy, but his understanding of the QB position grew throughout the season. He improved on his progressions through his reads and became much, much better with blitz recognition and knowing what to do when the heat was coming. The four teams that are drafting ahead of the Jaguars — Arizona, Oakland, New York (Jets) and San Francisco — appear to be set at QB. Arizona drafted Josh Rosen in the first round last year. Oakland has Derek Carr. The Jets landed in Sam Darnold with the first pick in 2018 and the 49ers have Jimmy G. That puts the Jaguars in the drivers seat to go get their guy and build around him with the rest of their early to mid round selections. Round 2. #36 Overall Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma Speed kills and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown has it in spades. He’s got the best combination of speed, quickness and hands in this draft class, but with the first round expected to be defense heavy the Jaguars get their hands on their first legitimately explosive receiver since . . . well, let’s just say it’s been a long time. Brown runs crisp routes, has great burst and can get it done on offense in a variety of ways. He projects as a high end Z receiver that can take the lid off of a defense. He’s diminutive at 5’10’’ and 170 lbs. but he’s the perfect weapon to pair with a young, strong armed QB. With the selections of Haskins and Brown the Jaguars inject some much needed juice into their offense. Round 3. #67 Overall Kaden Smith, TE, Stanford The Jaguars continue to build around their young QB with their third pick. Smith may have the best hands of any tight end in what is a loaded class. With Fant (Iowa) and Smith Jr. (Alabama) already being selected Kaden Smith is by far the best option for the Jaguars, who need to get with the times offensively, at the top of the third. At 6’5’’ and 250 lbs. Smith has the ability to play bully ball and has a knack for making heavily contested catches. His catch radius should be a real delight for Haskins. Pairing Smith with Austin Seferian-Jenkins could give the Jaguars an excellent two tight end package in 2019. Round 3. #94 Overall Andy Isabella, Slot, U Mass Let’s get this out of the way: Isabella should be used exclusively as a slot receiver at the next level. But he could very well develop into the best inside receiver in the game. At 5’10’’ and 190 lbs. Isabella is the twitchiest offensive weapon in the draft. He runs great routes and knows how to create separation. With naturally soft hands and more top end speed than people believe Isabella is the perfect slot receiving prospect. With this selection, paired with the first three picks, the Jaguars no longer have a need at QB, WR, or TE. Round 4. #101 Overall Michael Deiter, Interior O-Line, Wisconsin Wisconsin has a long history of producing top flight NFL draft prospects along their O-Line. Deiter played both center and tackle in college, but projects as a strong interior offensive lineman. He should be able to transition to guard or center at the next level. The Jaguars need to get stronger at right guard and Deiter will fill in nicely. At 6’6’’ and 321 lbs. with a strong anchor and good strength he’ll be a competent starter as a rookie. The Jaguars could elect to play him at center and move Brandon Linder back to guard. Either way, the combo of Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, and Michael Deiter on the inside could develop into one of the best interior O-line groups in all of football. Are the Jaguars likely to go all offense with their first five picks? Probably not, but they should. Last year the Jaguars had clear needs on offense, but instead addressed defense with two of their first three picks. |
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