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Mike Band of Next Gen Stats put together his first 2025 NFL mock draft for NFL.com, and in it, the Jacksonville Jaguars passed on a potential No. 1 pick and instead traded down.
When the Jaguars were on the clock at pick No. 5 in Band's mock draft, Colorado's Heisman winner, Travis Hunter, was still on the board. However, the Jaguars would move down to pick No. 7 in a trade with the New York Jets and selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.
"Jags GM James Gladstone follows the capital-hoarding strategy of former boss Les Snead, trading down two spots while still nabbing the player I would have given them at No. 5," wrote Band. "As intriguing as Travis Hunter would have been there, Gladstone and new head coach Liam Coen choose to reinforce the defensive line with Graham -- consistent with Gladstone's public emphasis on the trenches."
Graham is an obvious fit here for the Jaguars, who very much need to address the defensive line in the draft--and not only once, but multiple times. And the fact that the Jaguars could land Graham while gaining additional draft capital in the process, that's a big bonus.
Graham has proven he can get after the quarterback, generating 34 pressures and five sacks during the 2024 season, but his biggest impact came against the run, where he was PFF's highest-graded interior run defender and also ranked second in run stops.
With that said, passing on Hunter in this scenario wouldn't be easy, and he's someone who could potentially help the Jaguars out at two positions of need--cornerback and wide receiver.
With 10 draft selections this year, while more draft capital is always great, it's not necessary here either. This is also a very deep defensive line class, so while Graham may be the best of that group, the opportunity to add here beyond Round 1 still exists.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL mock draft: Jaguars pass on potential top pick, trade down instead
Continue reading...
When the Jaguars were on the clock at pick No. 5 in Band's mock draft, Colorado's Heisman winner, Travis Hunter, was still on the board. However, the Jaguars would move down to pick No. 7 in a trade with the New York Jets and selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.
"Jags GM James Gladstone follows the capital-hoarding strategy of former boss Les Snead, trading down two spots while still nabbing the player I would have given them at No. 5," wrote Band. "As intriguing as Travis Hunter would have been there, Gladstone and new head coach Liam Coen choose to reinforce the defensive line with Graham -- consistent with Gladstone's public emphasis on the trenches."
Graham is an obvious fit here for the Jaguars, who very much need to address the defensive line in the draft--and not only once, but multiple times. And the fact that the Jaguars could land Graham while gaining additional draft capital in the process, that's a big bonus.
Graham has proven he can get after the quarterback, generating 34 pressures and five sacks during the 2024 season, but his biggest impact came against the run, where he was PFF's highest-graded interior run defender and also ranked second in run stops.
With that said, passing on Hunter in this scenario wouldn't be easy, and he's someone who could potentially help the Jaguars out at two positions of need--cornerback and wide receiver.
With 10 draft selections this year, while more draft capital is always great, it's not necessary here either. This is also a very deep defensive line class, so while Graham may be the best of that group, the opportunity to add here beyond Round 1 still exists.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL mock draft: Jaguars pass on potential top pick, trade down instead
Continue reading...
