The 2022 NFL Draft is finally here. All those months of preparation, meeting with prospects and late-night evaluation will finally pay off. The Jacksonville Jaguars, just like every other team in the league, will try to come out of the first round with a difference-maker. and at No. 1, there’s a good chance that will be the case.
The Jags will enter the draft with 12 selections and it will be interesting to see whether they will use all of them or trade a few to move up. Here’s a list of all their picks and the round they belong to.
- Round 1, No. 1
- Round 2, No. 33
- Round 3, No. 65
- Round 3, No. 70 (after trading CB CJ Henderson to the Carolina Panthers)
- Round 4, No. 106
- Round 5, No. 157 (after trading DE Yannick Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings)
- Round 6, No. 180
- Round 6, No. 188 (after trading CB Sidney Jones to the Seattle Seahawks)
- Round 6, No. 197 (after trading QB Gardner Minshew to the Philadelphia Eagles)
- Round 6, No. 198 (after trading LB Joe Schobert to the Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Round 7, No. 222
- Round 7, NO. 235 (after trading TE Josh Oliver to the Baltimore Ravens)
The draft is take place throughout the course of Thursday (Round 1), Friday (Rounds 2 and 3), and Saturday (Rounds 4 to 7). Without further ado, here are four things to watch on Day 1.
1. Will the Jaguars manage to pull off a last-minute trade and move down?
General manager Trent Baalke made it known early in the process that the team was always open to trading down from the No. 1 pick but he told the media during the pre-draft press conference that the phone hadn’t rung, meaning that no club was interested in swapping places with the Jags.
Having said that, teams in need of a quarterback could get fidgety and if there’s a prospect they like and don’t want to miss out on him, they might feel inclined to call Jacksonville before they make the pick. Speaking of…
2. Who will the Jaguars pick at No. 1 in the 2022 NFL Draft?
During the Jaguars’ pre-draft conference, Trent Baalke told the media the team hadn’t reached a decision on the No. 1 pick. It’s possible that they did know but didn’t want to show his hand or maybe he was telling the truth but one thing is clear, they will take an edge rusher, whether it’s Michigan Aidan Hutchinson’s or Georgia’s Travon Walker.
Baalke said the Jags had narrowed down their list of potential choices to four and there’s a good chance that two of those prospects were offensive tackles Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu. However, taking an offensive lineman at No. 1 is highly unlikely after giving left tackle Cam Robinson a three-year deal worth $54 million.
Had Robinson played the 2022 season under the franchise tag, the Jags could have drafted Ekwonu or Neal, have either one play left guard this season, and move him to left tackle next year. But after committing to Robinson, this path seems unrealistic. Keep in mind that the Jaguars drafted Trevor Lawrence last year, so choosing another quarterback is out of the question. Similarly, they won’t invest a premium pick in a safety, offensive guard, or a running back, leaving a pass rusher as the only realistic choice.
Maybe the Jags had already set their eyes on one of the top two pass rushers in this year’s draft. In fact, the top brass might have given Robinson a multi-year deal precisely because they knew all along they were taking an edge rusher with the first overall pick, so who wil it be?
3. Will the Jaguars jump back into the first round?
So the Jaguars are set to keep the No. 1 pick but could they try to move back into the first round? They currently hold the 33rd overall pick and if there’s a prospect they really like they might need to get back into the first round. The team’s brass seems to like Georgia linebacker Quay Walker. But Jordan De Lugo of Generation Jaguar thinks he might not be available at the beginning of the second round, so the Jags might need to get jump back into the 20-30 pick range to land him.
Similarly, if there’s a wide receiver the Jaguars like, they may need to leapfrog the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers. Both teams need help at the position after trading Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams respectively.
Trent Baalke told the media that the 33rd overall selection holds plenty of value because it gives teams almost a day to reconsider their draft strategy. Clubs that are picking towards the end of the first round may look to trade out of the first round to get a chance to think through and hoard additional draft picks. Meanwhile, the Jags have enough picks to put a package together and move back into the late 20s in the first round.
Depending on how the first round unfolds, don’t be surprised if the Jaguars trade the 33rd overall pick in order to move up.
4. Will the Jaguars trade any players on Draft Night?
Earlier this year, Michael DiRocco of ESPN reported that wide receiver Laviska Shenault was on the trade block. Similarly, the Minnesota Vikings seemingly explored the possibility of acquiring linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson before last year’s trade deadline. Will the Jags move any of their players on Day 1 of the draft?
General manager Trent Baalke has had no qualms about trading players he inherited from the previous regime and it wouldn’t be shocking to hear clubs inquire about Shenault or Chaisson. Another player that could potentially find himself on the trade block is right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who hasn’t lived up to his potential after being selected in the second round of the 2019 draft.
The team’s brass have previously scoffed at the idea of dealing the Florida product. Having said that, the Jags have Walker Little in place and Taylor is entering the last year of his rookie deal, which makes him a prime candidate to change teams.
Of course, it’s highly unlikely that the Jaguars will be offered premium compensation for any of these players, and at most, they will get a late-round pick for them. If anything, it would be a question of clearing a few roster spots in order to make space for the rookie class. Also, Viska has shown potential and is a candidate to bounce back in 2022 after underperforming last season. Similarly, it may be a bit too early to give up on either Taylor or Chaisson. Then again, it wouldn’t be shocking to see either one traded on draft day.