Jaguars would get draft haul from the Eagles in this trade scenario

The Jacksonville Jaguars currently hold the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft but general manager Trent Baalke told the media at the NFL Scouting Combine that they are always “open for business“. Not long after, Mike Giardi of NFL Media said a couple of clubs believe the Jags are going to shop the selection. If they do get an offer like the one Bleacher Report recently drew up, they should pull the trigger.

Alex Kay of B/Report recently put together a list of potential trades the top 5 teams in the top of the draft could make and he suggest the Philadelphia Eagles give the Jaguars picks No. 15, 16, and 83 in 2022 and a second-round selection next year in exchange for the first overall. Kay believes that Jacksonville could use any of the prospects at the top but also thinks that they could be better off trading down and acquiring a handful of extra selections.

"After slogging through another miserable campaign, the Jaguars would benefit from any of the elite prospects they could take at the top of the 2022 draft. Although the thought of adding a blue-chip piece is enticing, the team would be passing up a golden opportunity to expedite its rebuild by staying put. Instead, the Jags should be working to trade down from No. 1 overall, securing a bevy of picks they can utilize to upgrade a roster that needs help nearly across the board."

Kay notes that the Eagles need to improve their pass rush and this trade would allow them to take either Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson or Oregon’s Kaybon Thibodeaux. On the other hand, the Jaguars would still be in a position to draft a couple of impact players in the middle of the draft. They could add a pass rusher like David Ojabo or a wide receiver like Drake London or Treylon Burks.

Keeping the No. 1 pick would also work out in the Jaguars’ favor.

The Jaguars could sure use a few extra draft picks but they would also pass up the chance to take Aidan Hutchinson or Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal. They just applied the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson, so it’s uncertain what kind of direction they will take in the selection meeting. Jacksonville could still take Neal and have him line up at guard or tackle but they could also bolster their pass rush and if they already set their sights on someone, they would have to get a ransom to move down.

The Jags’ draft strategy will be a bit more clear once free agency comes and goes. If they sign a pass rusher like Chandler Jones or Von Miller, it then becomes less likely that they will target a pass rush with the top pick in the draft. Similarly, if they acquire one of the top wide receivers available in the market — Allen Robinson, probably Amari Cooper — addressing the position in the first two rounds will no longer be a priority and could possibly wait until the third to take one.

It’s true that the Jaguars have many roster holes to fill and a couple of extra draft picks would be of help, but unless they get an offer that is too good to pass up, they should stay at No. 1.