Jaguars in position to take Evan Neal after declaring for 2022 NFL Draft

The upside of finishing the regular season with the worst record in the league is that the Jacksonville Jaguars earned the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. One of the top prospects and one they will be in a prime position to take has entered the draft.

Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal announced his decision to enter the draft on a social media post. He starts by thanking all those that have made his journey possible and goes on to say that he has decided to forgo his senior season at Alabama and is ready to declare for the draft.

This doesn’t come as a surprise. It was a matter of when not if. Without a consensus top quarterback prospect in 2022, Neal has been projected as a top 5 draft pick. In fact, he’s a popular choice to land with the Jaguars at number one and has been linked to them in several mock drafts. Here’s a recent one by Jacob Schyvinck of NFL Mocks. Here’s another one by Bleacher Report’s scouting department, which describes the offensive tackle as a prospect with “tremendous upside” and “exceptionally explosive and smooth out of his stance at 350 pounds”.

Keep in mind that Neal isn’t the only prospect worth taking first overall. If the Jaguars prefer to go defense, they can select defensive ends Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon or Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan. Either player would give Jacksonville someone to line up opposite edge rusher Josh Allen. Here’s Neal’s social media post where he announces his intention to enter the 2022 draft:

Evan Neal gives the Jaguars a foundational piece to build upon at No. 1.

One of the advantages of drafting Neal is that the Jaguars can plug him anywhere in the offensive line. Back at Alabama, he played left tackle, right guard, and right tackle. Even though Cam Robinson played well enough in 2021 to earn a long-term contract, they could let him walk in free agency, play Walker Little at left tackle and have Neal line up at right tackle.

The Jags could then use the cap space they would have used on Robinson to upgrade other positions such as offensive guard, tight end, or wide receiver. What’s important is that they surround Trevor Lawrence with as much talent as possible if they want him to make a leap in his sophomore campaign.

It’s too early in the draft process to tell what the Jaguars plan to do with the top pick in the draft but taking Neal would be a sound decision if they want to bolster their offensive line.