Jacksonville Jaguars 2015 NFL Draft: Biggest Need

The Jacksonville Jaguars are fresh off their first win of the 2014 NFL season, but the reality is the team is 1-6 and likely headed towards another top 10 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Honestly, that’s not something to be discouraged by – this team is in the 2nd year of a massive rebuild and seems to have quite a few promising young pieces. Still, the Jaguars have a few glaring needs, and hopefully those will be addressed in next year’s draft.

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report has already started to identify the needs of every team in the NFL, and for the Jaguars he thinks it’s defensive end. Consequently, he identified Leonard Williams of USC as the best fit for the Jaguars right now.

"The Jacksonville Jaguars have one win on the season, so it’s fair to say they have a lot of needs. The interesting thing is that this is a very young team, so many roster spots are tied up by players in their first or second year who are still developing. That leads to a poor record but a bright future.Looking at the biggest needs in Jacksonville, you can quickly identify defensive end, the offensive line, cornerback and middle linebacker. That sounds like a lot, but one good offseason can fix many of those holes.With what should be an early pick, the Jaguars can get a high-impact defender. No player on defense is ranked higher than USC’s Leonard Williams, and given his versatile ability to play end or tackle on the defensive line, he’s a great fit in Gus Bradley’s scheme on defense.Williams has speed, agility, strength and is still able to improve as a junior prospect. Randy Gregory or Vic Beasley would be tempting as pure speed rushers for Seattle, but Williams has the best chance to be a franchise-changing defender."

What’s promising about Miller’s piece are the needs he lists – you don’t see quarterback in there. With Blake Bortles now firmly entrenched as the quarterback of the future, the Jaguars can focus on finding playmakers around him.

I agree with Miller here – the Jaguars need to find a dynamic pass rusher on the edge. The defense currently has 22 sacks on the season, good for 2nd in the NFL behind the Buffalo Bills, but a lot of those sacks and the pressure this season have come from the interior. The Jaguars have also improved in pass coverage over the last several weeks and that’s helped the rush get home.

Leonard Williams is a guy who has the versatility to rush inside and outside and would be a perfect fit on this defense. The Jaguars probably need another linebacker and a free safety, but those are players you can hopefully find in the later rounds.