Jacksonville Jaguars: 7-Round 2019 mock draft in early April
By Larry Brake
Round 3 – Pick 1: Jaquan Johnson, S, Miami; Pick 2: D’Andre Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Jacksonville will take defensive players in the third round. At No. 69, they select Jaquan Johnson, a safety from Miami. As the 98th overall pick, D’Andre Walker gets the nod to wrap up the third round.
Johnson gives the Jaguars secondary two young aggressive safeties. He could be the missing piece, in the return to the Jaguars lock down secondary. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com gives an over view of Johnson:
"Interchangeable safety with aggressiveness and leadership qualities teams covet. … he’s reliable in coverage and extremely consistent as a downhill, open-field tackler with a taste for striking. He has good short-area quickness and soft hands, …"
Walker draws comparison to Dee Ford from Zierlein. He stands 6-2, weighing 251 pounds. Physically, he is similar to Yannick Ngakoue, the Jaguars ferious edge rusher. The trade of Dante Fowler leaves a void opposite of Ngakoue. The Jaguars selected Ngakoue in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Hopefully, Jacksonville jumps on this pick and fills Fowler’s old spot.
At Georgia, Walker had 112 total tackles while seeing two seasons of actual play time. He recorded 13.5 sacks overall, while 13 were from the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He is still developing as a player.
The Jaguars defensive line has solid leadership with Marcell Dareus and Calais Campbell. Walker has the chance to bloom into a fierce pass rusher under their leadership. Perhaps he is a diamond in the rough.