Jaguars fortify trenches early in All-SEC 3-round NFL mock draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars will need to protect last year’s top pick, Trevor Lawrence, by drafting blockers and weapons. Oh, and they must continue rebuilding the defense as well.

Jaguars’ general manager Trent Baalke remains employed and will once again be calling the shots come April. The biggest difference from last offseason will be that he has a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Doug Pederson and not someone unable to adapt to the NFL. As far as this year’s draft goes, Jacksonville can look to the SEC for help in hopefully getting their turnaround started.

The fact is, year after year, the SEC churns out NFL stars from powerhouse schools such as Alabama and Georgia. This April, Baalke, and co. need to stick with “best player available” and go with players that’ll hopefully come in and become immediate starters. There’s too much on the line in Lawrence’s sophomore campaign to use any early draft picks on “projects” or potential “reaches.”

In all likelihood, the Jaguars can address their most critical needs within the first three rounds, landing prospects that figure to become key contributors. Those needs, of course, are offensive tackle, cornerback, wide receiver, and a defensive lineman.

To begin transforming his potential into on-field results, Lawrence needs weaponry. To do so, the wide receiver corps needs a boost. Additionally, the Jaguars’ defense under Pederson’s new staff will also need to make strides, especially with regard to run defense.

Let’s see how Jacksonville can look to get their team going after an abysmal 2021.