Jacksonville Jaguars ‘perfect’ mock draft includes Lamar Jackson according to ESPN’s Todd McShay
By Daniel Lago
In an annual tradition, ESPN draftnik Todd McShay put together “perfect” drafts for every team. For the Jacksonville Jaguars, that includes a big name QB.
In a complete break from previous seasons, it’s basically impossible to predict what the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to do in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Picking near the end of the first round, the Jaguars have no idea which players will be available to them when they are on the clock, and making predictions beyond that is a fool’s errand.
But let’s take a look anyway!
Todd McShay recently put out a three round mock draft where he made selections that would result in a perfect ‘A’ grade from him post-draft for each team. For the Jaguars, he makes some curious picks:
"Jacksonville JaguarsRound 1 (29): Lamar Jackson, QB, LouisvilleRound 2 (61): B.J. Hill, DT, NC StateRound 3 (93): Duke Dawson, CB, FloridaThis would be an interesting spot for Jackson, who wouldn’t need to play right away but could be a long-term solution if Blake Bortles doesn’t continue to progress. Jackson is special with the ball in his hands and would be another playmaker. Hill is a two-down run-stuffer and Dawson could help in the slot to replace Aaron Colvin."
The Lamar Jackson pick is the least unusual one in this group to me – Jackson is a long-term option at quarterback and is available if Blake Bortles fails to take another step in 2018. He’s potentially a huge boom prospect who could develop into a better Michael Vick. The upside is high enough to warrant the risk and the opportunity cost of taking another position at 29.
McShay follows up the Lamar pick with two defensive players, a break from most mocks where the Jaguars go heavy on offense.
B.J. Hill is reasonable because there’s a decent chance the Jaguars will move on from one or both of Malik Jackson and Marcel Dareus in the coming seasons, so having depth and a successor there is prescient.
Having a lot of defensive backs is fine, but Dawson walks into a crowded room. The Jaguars paid D.J. Hayden a disturbing amount of money to play in the slot so Dawson will only show up on special teams and dime packages.
If you follow the entire mock, you’ll notice that most of the offensive players the Jaguars would target (guard, tight end, tackle) go off the board right before the Jaguars pick, so maybe this is a case of just taking the best available player in each round.