The Jacksonville Jaguars can’t go wrong with DT Javon Kinlaw

If the Jacksonville Jaguars are not able to land a defensive tackle with the ninth pick in the NFL Draft, might they consider one with the 20th pick, instead?

The Jacksonville Jaguars would love to have auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown but it is unlikely that he will be available with the ninth pick. This allows them to pick an offensive lineman instead and seek defensive line help with their second first-round pick at No. 20.

There are several candidates but none are better than Javon Kinlaw who is undoubtedly the second best defensive tackle prospect in the draft.

Kinlaw began his college career at Jones Junior College and transferred to South Carolina. He played there for three years and is one the most decorated linemen to play for the Gamecocks. He was selected All-SEC first team in his senior year.

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His younger years included homelessness, lack of interest in school, and general troublesome behavior.  Will Muschamp, South Carolina Head Coach, headed to his high school and developed a success plan for him. He decided to take this opportunity with the help of another coach, Steve Buckley, at Jones Junior College.

This change paid off for Kinlaw.

Kinlaw is 6’ 5” tall and weighs 324 pounds. His Combine grade was 6.70, which means he should be a year-one starter in the NFL. He did not participate in Combine drills. He had 35 tackles and six sacks in his senior year.

As Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote, there is plenty to like about Kinlaw, especially since he is still growing as a football player.

"“Kinlaw started 12 games in 2018, sharing the team’s Defensive MVP award (38 tackles, 10 for loss, 4.5 sacks, five pass breakups),” Zierlein wrote. “He missed the Belk Bowl, however, as he recovered from hip surgery. Kinlaw reached his potential as a senior, earning first-team Associated Press All-America and first-team All-SEC honors even though his defensive production (35 tackles, six sacks in 12 starts) did not exactly match how dominant he was at times.”"

NFL.com is not the only website that has Kinlaw pegged as a Day-1 target for the Jacksonville Jaguars or any team looking to improve their interior defensive line. As written on thedraftnetwork.com, Kinlaw is a powerful player who could grow into one of the best at his position.

"“A hugely powerful athlete with a wicked first step, Kinlaw demolishes blocking schemes and pocket integrity with regularly… Kinlaw is a candidate for Pro Bowl bids the moment he steps on the field, and has the physical tools of the top defensive tackles in the league if he continues to grow.”"

Kinlaw is consistently chosen as the second-ranked defensive tackle prospect in the upcoming NFL draft.  There is a large gap after Kinlaw and Brown so if a team needs a defensive tackle as badly as the Jacksonville Jaguars, he should be very high on the team draft board.

His background indicates that he will respond well to coaching and learn how to be a successful starter. He did receive his college degree which is another positive regarding his work ethic.  I hope to see this guy with a rough start in life become a proud All-Pro in the NFL, hopefully for the Jacksonville Jaguars.