Jaguars: Is Jacksonville looking to take a quarterback in the NFL Draft?

Is it still a possibility that the Jacksonville Jaguars will select a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft in April? Some analysts think so.

The rumors are still out there. The notion that the Jacksonville Jaguars are in the market for a quarterback in the NFL Draft. The idea that they have Gardner Minshew onboard but might pull the trigger of moving up to select their signal-caller of the future.

Is there merit to those claims or are they nothing more than fodder to fill website pages and draw the ire of Jaguars fans who are excited to see what Minshew can do without Nick Foles on the roster in his second season in the NFL?

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Minshew is still a work in progress. That’s why so many analysts believe someone like Jameis Winston or Cam Newton should be an easy decision to make for team general manager David Caldwell to make. This is a team looking to rebuild, as it has shown with the trades that have sent A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell and Foles packing in recent weeks. The Jaguars are now one of the youngest teams in the league and could get younger if more chess moves are made.

The Jaguars’ front office has made moves in the past to trade up in the second round to grab players who fell to them in the right situation. Myles Jack in 2016, Cam Robinson in 2017 and Jawaan Taylor in 2019 all have a chance to make an impact this season. Whether all of them will is still debated.

The Jaguars found a gem in Taylor from Florida, who proved to be the team’s best offensive lineman last season. Jack played out of position last year after signing a huge contract extension. He will move back outside in 2020. Robinson was thought to be the team’s answer at left tackle. He hasn’t played consistently and has dealt with injuries in his first three years of his career.

If trades do dictate how the 2020 NFL draft plays out, as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report wrote, then teams like the Jaguars, Raider and possibly the Dolphins could control what happens with moves that shouldn’t shock many.

And that is where the idea of Caldwell drafting a quarterback comes into play. It’s also a move Pete Prisco believes will happen in his recent mock draft on CBSsports.com.

Just for the record, if the Jaguars do grab Jordan Love with the 20th pick, there might be a revolt of fans in Duval County. If someone like Tua Tagovailoa were to fall to them with the ninth pick, it might be a consideration. But trading up in the draft to select a passer sends a message to Minshew about how the team feels about his future.

It also lets the team’s fanbase know it is preparing for the future and Minshew’s days as a starter or potentially in a black and teal jersey are numbered.