What if the Jaguars get defensive in the NFL Draft?

If a top pass rusher falls to the Jaguars with at the No. 7 pick in the NFL Draft, would the front office take him over other areas of need?

Here’s a scenario that has been on my mind for some time about the Jaguars and the NFL Draft.

The New York Giants have just taken Drew Lock with the sixth pick with the Jaguars now on the clock. The first few picks did not go according to plan as teams drafted both Kyler Murray (Arizona) and Dwayne Haskins (Miami trades with the Oakland Raiders). The shuffle means there are plenty of pass rushers out there to be had.

Jacksonville, with the seventh pick, has tight end T.J. Hockenson of Iowa, Florida tackle Jawaan Taylor, and defensive end Quinnen Williams out of Alabama on the board. Williams is rated as the highest player left on Jacksonville’s draft board. Would the front office, namely Tom Coughlin, pull the trigger on taking Williams, who gives the team an improved pass rush over the needs at tackle and tight end?

Don’t think for a moment this couldn’t happen and the Jaguars shocked the world by taking a pass rusher to add depth at the position.

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The Jaguars took a chance last season by adding depth for the future and who could blame them. The team came within minutes of going to the Super Bowl in 2017. The defense was the second best in the NFL. Then-quarterback Blake Bortles had just played some of the best football of his career.

The team drafted Florida defensive lineman Taven Bryan to play big end and an occasional interior lineman. The front office added depth at wide receiver and safety. The franchise was building for the future.

And then the wheels came off. Bryan did not have the rookie season expected. He played out of position until he was moved inside. DJ Chark was injured five weeks of the season. Ronnie Harrison was the team’s best rookie outside punter Logan Cooke.

This year, the Jaguars still have needs on offense, but overlooking a player like Williams may prove to be a huge mistake.

Coughlin built a reputation in New York when he was both general manager and head coach of the Giants of winning football games by building both the offensive and defensive lines with depth. He has two rings to show how well that worked out for him.

Drafting a pass rusher is not an indictment on missing on the Bryan pick. The second-year pro is one of the reasons Malik Jackson was released (the other being his high cap figure). Bryan looked more comfortable inside against the rush inside of chasing opposing quarterbacks.

Given Calais Campbell is 32 and will not be around forever and Yannick Ngakoue is the only other established pass rusher on the roster, I really can see this happen. It might not make the Jaguars fan base happy, but it is a possibility.

The Jaguars could take a pass rusher (if available) at No. 7, come back in the second round and grab a tackle and then take a tight end and wide receiver in the third round of the Draft. That’s just a theory.

There are plenty of them out there. But the chance of the team helping the defense, which was exposed at times last season, and given the fact the team’s sack total fell from 55 to 37 is the one number that tells the story.

That’s why I won’t be surprised if the Jaguars grab a pass rusher if one of the top prospects is on the board when it’s there time to select their first-round pick.