Jacksonville Jaguars rebuild quickly in final 7-round 2020 mock draft
By Lucas Schuh
The Jacksonville Jaguars have enough capital in the 2020 NFL Draft to climb out of the AFC South cellar, which they do in this final 7-round mock draft.
Be it because of the emergence of Gardner Minshew or other reasons, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the biggest storylines in the NFL last year. Minshew’s emergence, of course, came after high-priced free-agent Nick Foles was injured in Week 1, which made way for the sixth-round rookie. And it was Minshew who ultimately proved his worth for this team.
The Jaguars have now traded Foles and intend to move forward with Minshew. But as the 2020 NFL Draft approaches, they have a ton of questions. This team has torn things down in a big way, trading big-name pieces away from their defense and having other question marks on both sides of the ball as well.
Having said that, there is still plenty of talent on this roster as well. Subsequently, the Jaguars can use their two first-round picks and a deep stock of draft capital to start turning things around with Minshew leading the way. That’s the goal in this 7-round mock draft, which was compiled using the NFL Mock Draft Database’s Draft Simulator.
Jacksonville has glaring needs in the secondary and on the defensive line. However, at the No. 9 pick, the value isn’t there. Thus, they turn to another of their biggest needs: wide receiver.
The 2020 NFL Draft class is loaded at wide receiver throughout all seven rounds. While they could wait on a player and use one of their other 11 selections, you can’t match top-end talent, which is what Jerry Jeudy brings to the table coming out of Alabama.
Jeudy consistently gets separation when on the field no matter his matchup. He’s not an overly dominant physical presence nor is he a burner that can just out-run defenders. Instead, he’s impossible to cover thanks to his elite route-running. His footwork and ability to break makes him one of the best separators we’ve seen in the draft for some time. He’s a master at manipulating coverages and getting in and out of his breaks.
Again, the Crimson Tide standout is not an elite physical presence, which was on display with a relatively pedestrian showing at the NFL Combine. But while many people are crying to replace the top-tier cornerbacks the jaguars have lost recently, they need to help out Minshew and the offense. Jeudy is a player who will do that immediately.
Other Players Available: Henry Ruggs III, CeeDee Lamb, Andrew Thomas