Jaguars take unusual route in the 1st round in TDN’s latest mock draft

The blockbuster trade the San Francisco 49ers pulled to get the third overall pick will surely have a meaningful effect in the first half of the draft but will it have an effect on who the Jacksonville Jaguars draft with the 25th overall pick? It may but even if it doesn’t, a recent mock draft predicts they will take an unusual route with their second first-round pick.

Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network projects in his latest mock the Jags will, as expected, take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. On the other hand, he sees Jacksonville taking Lawrence’s teammate, running back Travis Etienne, with the 25th overall pick. The Louisiana native is one of the top running back prospects in 2021’s draft and could form an electrifying duo along with sophomore James Robinson.

Etienne has shown he can be a playmaker both in the backfield and in the passing game. He ran for more than 1,600 in 2018 and 2019 and even though he failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark rushing last season, he displayed his value in the passing game, catching 48 passes for 588 yards with touchdowns and averaging 12.4 yards per reception.

Should the Jacksonville Jaguars draft Travis Etienne 25th overall?

While Etienne would be a solid addition to Jacksonville’s offense, it wouldn’t make much sense to use a first-round selection on him or a running back for that matter. They already have a workhorse in Robinson. Also, they signed Carlos Hyde in free agency to be the primary backup running back.

The Jaguars should definitely keep adding talent to their running back room but investing a first-round pick in the position may not be the savviest business, especially when you can find running back talent in later rounds of the draft. There are in fact a handful of talented prospects this Jacksonville team could target in the middle rounds of the selection meeting.

Adding a talented running back in the draft is never a bad idea. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be done at the expense of other position groups, at least not in the first round. Then again, if Etienne is available in the second round, the Jaguars should consider pulling the trigger.