Let’s make a preface with one point: it is too early to put too much stock in simulated drafts. That statement will be as true in January as it is today. But while that fact persists, simulated drafts are still an exercise worth examining because they can help paint a picture of possible scenarios that might unfold in future drafts.
The start of the NFL Draft 2021 is more than half a year away, but while most fans are gearing up for the 2020 season and reflecting on their club’s latest draft class, the teams are already gearing up to next year’s draft.
For the second year in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be a major player in the first round of the draft. Thanks to the trade that sent All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams, the Jaguars own two first-round picks in 2021, giving them plenty of flexibility in the first round.
Jacksonville exited the first round of 2020 with two athletic defenders at cornerback CJ Henderson (No. 9 overall) and defensive end / outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 20 overall), but the team selected only one player. offensive with its first four peaks.
With the Jaguars using most of their best picks on defense in recent years, could they once again go down in the first round in 2021, but this time on offense? The Draft Wire’s latest mock preview projection does.
In a drill written by Jacob Infante, the Jaguars were projected to use each of their first-round picks on offense, with the first pick as Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields at No. 2 overall. Fields would be the best-selected quarterback in team history in this setting, beating Blake Bortles, the former No. 3 overall.
“Jacksonville found a surprisingly solid game from sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew in 2019, but if they end up with the chance to take on a quarterback with a higher ceiling, they probably will. Fields’ natural talent, dependable mechanics and Dual threat skills make him an attractive target near the top of the first round, “Infante wrote.
Just as the Dolphins were tied to Tua Tagovailoa for most of 2019, expect the Jaguars to be mentioned in the same breath as Fields or star collegiate quarterback Trevor Lawrence for most of 2020. The Jaguars have Gardner Minshew II as the starter, with Josh Dobbs, Mike Glennon and Jake Luton as reinforcements, but most outside of Jacksonville are skeptical. Minshew can take the job long-term. However, within Jacksonville, Minshew will receive all the support and opportunities he needs for 2020.
Minshew had a solid rookie season after the Jaguars selected him in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, completing 60.64% of his passes for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions while compiling a 6-6 record. as owner. However, it is still far from a certainty that he can be “the man” for the Jaguars in 2020 and beyond, as he has yet to prove himself in that regard, although it appears he will have every opportunity to do so.
In the event the Jaguars pick No. 2 overall, it’s hard to see that the team doesn’t select a quarterback, though Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell might be an attractive option if the Jaguars are standing with Minshew. The main reason a quarterback would make sense to the Jaguars in this scenario is the fact that having the second-worst record in the league would likely bring a new head coach and / or general manager to Jacksonville. Most regimes prefer to hit resets with “their boys” in the quarterback, so there would be no guarantee that Minshew would see the field again in 2021 at this event.
But if Minshew plays well enough, and if things are going the Jaguars’ way, then not only will the Jaguars not need a quarterback like Fields, they won’t be able to select him anyway due to less space in the draft .
With Jacksonville’s second pick, The Draft Wire opted to give Alabama left tackle Alex Leatherwood, who was projected by most as the first assailant in 2020 before returning to school.
The left tackle is likely to be near the top of Jacksonville’s priorities in 2021 if current left tackles Cam Robinson and Will Richardson do not prove to be long-term responses in the role. Robinson was solid as a rookie, but he broke his ACL in early 2018, derailing his development as a protector for the blind side of Jacksonville. He returned for 14 games last season, but there were frequent stretches of bad play and penalties.
As for Richardson, he has only played two games of his career as a left tackle. The third-year pro will move to the blind side full time in 2020, but there is always a chance that the Jaguars will make a serious investment in the position next offseason.
Leatherwood himself is a giant man who has spent time on both the left tackle and the right guard, giving him plenty of flexibility as he advances to the NFL. The 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pound Leatherwood spent 2018 on guard duty before moving to full-time left tackle in 2019 to replace Jonah Williams, but he also spent time at tackle instead of an injured Williams as a freshman. in 2017 and impressed in a big way.
