Jacksonville Jaguars: 4 potential first-time All-Pros in 2021

Josh Allen must perform at an All-Pro level for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars made defensive end Josh Allen a first-round selection in 2019 and he quickly made his presence felt, posting 10.5 sacks, 44 total tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles in his rookie campaign. The team’s brass felt so confident about the Kentucky product that they traded defensive end Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue last offseason. You could argue about the merits of trading the two best pass rushers the Jags had but Allen showed he can deliver, earning a Pro Bowl designation in his first year in the NFL.

On the other hand, hindsight is 20/20 and Jacksonville might not have dealt Campbell and Ngakoue if they knew at the time that Allen was going to see a drop in production last season. The seventh overall pick in 2019’s draft suffered a knee injury that limited to eight games and even when he played, he wasn’t at full strength. Thus, he only managed to register 2.5 sacks 13 total tackles and appear in 35 percent of the team’s total snaps on defense.

Allen should pick up where he left off and should see a surge in production this upcoming season. The Jaguars have added reinforcement to the defensive front, and defensive coordinator Joe Cullen will look for favorable matchups in the team’s hybrid defense. Everything is in place for the third-year EDGE defender to make another Pro Bowl and the first All-Pro of his young career.