Are the Jacksonville Jaguars willing to trade the No. 9 pick?

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars look to move out of the ninth pick in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night to acquire more draft capital?

If it is true that Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell may become the latest version of the Riverboat Gambler in the first round of the NFL, he should have no shortage of teams looking to move up into the top 10. Especially if there is a need to bring in a rookie quarterback to reshape their franchise.

The Jaguars want to acquire as many draft picks as possible to help with their own rebuilding project.

"″Talking to some GMs across the league, we have started some potential scenarios of potential up or trading back,″ Caldwell said when he spoke to myself and local media members last week via Zoom.More from Jaguars DraftJacksonville Jaguars fortify secondary in 4-round 2023 Post-Combine NFL Mock DraftThe Jaguars may look for edge rushers with pick 24The Jacksonville Jaguars got so lucky with the 2021 NFL DraftJaguars fortify OL with Jaelyn Duncan in CBS Sports’ 2023 NFL Mock DraftJacksonville Jaguars don’t need to trade up in the 2023 NFL Draft to land a cornerback″If you are sitting there at No. 9 and No. 20 and there is an only guy left at pick No. 5, you might have to use some of that ammo to go up and get the guy that you want. I think you have to see what is happening in front of you and when you get your pick, who is there for you to trade back for.”"

The roster may be different due to free agency and adjustments made to the salary cap, but there are still plenty of holes to plug on both sides of the ball. The most recent rumor involving the Jaguars and a potential move out of the ninth pick in the Draft involves the Atlanta Falcons.

"“Apparently, {ESPN’s Mel] Kiper hears the Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars are discussing a trade that would send Atlanta the ninth-overall pick. At that spot, the Falcons would indeed take Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson, perhaps the hottest name being linked currently to the Falcons,” writes Cory Woodroof of thefalcoholic.com."

The comments Kiper made were from his First Draft podcast on Tuesday.

"“I keep hearing, [co-host Chris Sprow], that [Jacksonville] could make a trade at 9 and go down to 16 with Atlanta, Atlanta jump up to get Henderson, and Jacksonville moves down to 16, and they have 16 and 20,” Kiper Jr. said on the podcast,” Woodroof adds."

The move isn’t a surprise. The Falcons want to add more to their defense and could certainly use the ninth pick to add a defensive lineman or take a defensive back. The Jaguars would move back and could have a wide receiver or cornerback in mind, plus the 20th overall selection to use as well.

The Jaguars could also wait and see if one of the top offensive linemen fall in the middle of the first round. But if a deal like is made, my thinking is they are looking to add a playmaker first for quarterback Gardner Minshew. The Alabama duo of Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III could be available. CeeDee Lamb of Oklahoma might be there as well and Justin Jefferson of LSU has become a hot name that is moving up draft boards.

The biggest thing the Jaguars want to do through the Draft this weekend is to get the best players available at the positions that are most in need and give the offense more opportunities to score points. Defensively, the Jaguars need to find run-stuffers and add depth in the secondary.

"″My philosophy is you can never go wrong with taking who you view is the best player,″ head coach Doug Marrone said in the press conference on Zoom with Caldwell. ″Later when there are so many players that are kind of together, meaning that their values are around the same, I think you look to upgrade a certain position.″"