Fresh 2018 NFL mock draft sees the Jacksonville Jaguars trading up for a quarterback

In an updated mock draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars make a bold leap up in round one.

When free agency begins, and the first wave of signings occur in the NFL, it begins to become clearer who or what teams may be targeting early in the draft. With the first rush of free agency completed, mock drafts start to take on a more realistic image of what could happen on April 26th.

But that certainly doesn’t mean that prospective trades and surprise selections have fallen by the wayside in various mocks.

That is very much the case in a new mock draft from Sporting News writer Eric Galko. In predicting how the first round will shake out, Galko has the Jacksonville Jaguars making a daring move and trading first round picks with the San Francisco 49ers, all the way up to the 9th selection. With that 9th pick, Galko thinks the Jaguars draft quarterback Josh Allen:

"9. TRADE — Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming"

"After Darnold at No. 1 overall, there’s a good chance all quarterbacks drafted in Round 1 will be selected following a trade. The Jaguars re-signed Blake Bortles to what amounts to a Mike Glennon-Bears-like contract. They still need a quarterback for the future and not much else. Trading this year’s first-round pick and next year’s first-round pick (and maybe a little more) could do the trick."

I have firmly been on the side of being on board with Jacksonville taking a QB in the first round, but I definitely don’t think this is the way to do it. It’s not just the team having to be sold on Allen as a prospect, but so much so to be willing to give up future picks.