Jacksonville Jaguars select Taven Bryan in first round of the 2018 NFL Draft

With the 29th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected defensive tackle Taven Bryan with the 29th pick.

The Jacksonville Jaguars went into the 2018 NFL Draft with very few immediate needs – that left them free to either stand pat and take the best available player at 29, or move around and let the board dictate what they did.

That’s exactly what they did and they decided to make a strength even stronger by adding Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan.

After a massively successful 2017 season that saw the Jaguars win the AFC South and march to within minutes of the Super Bowl, it’s clear the team wants to win now but build for the future.

Bryan represents some of both – a contributor for the short term and a building block in the long term. Bryan can help provide interior pass rush and deepen the rotation on the defensive line this year. He also makes the decision to move on from Malik Jackson or Marcell Dareus in the coming years much easier.

The beginning of first round went as expected and saw numerous quarterbacks come off the board – with a surprise at 1 with Baker Mayfield. As the first round kept rolling on, Lamar Jackson kept falling down the board and many wondered whether or not the Jaguars would pull the trigger on the former Heisman winner.

The Jaguars didn’t, and they eschewed offense entirely – ignoring guys available like Will Hernandez and Courtland Sutton – to take a guy they think can become a real difference maker on defense.