Jaguars biggest winners and losers of the 2022 NFL Draft

The 2022 NFL Draft is now in the books and the Jacksonville Jaguars should feel good about the group of players they walked away with.

Although the Jags had already made several upgrades to the roster in free agency, they acquired several players that could end up getting important roles as soon as this year.

Now, not everything is sunshine and flowers. While there are players and coaches that will benefit from the additions the Jags made in the draft, others will be affected. Here are the draft’s biggest winners and losers in Jacksonville.

No. 1 Jaguars biggest loser of the 2022 NFL Draft – Chapelle Russell, LB.

Early in the offseason, it looked like Chapelle Rusell and Shaquille Quarterman going to get a fair shot at earning a starting role in the Jaguars’ defensive lineup. After all, the organization didn’t make an aggressive effort to retain Damien Wilson, who went on to sign a two-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. The fact that the team released Myles Jack only increased their chances.

When the Jaguars signed linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, it was fair to think that Russell and Quarterman were going to be given the opportunity to earn the other spot. Alas, they might have a hard time earning playing time in 2022. First, general manager Trent Baalke traded up to take Devin Lloyd at No. 27 and later double dipped with the acquisition in the third round and drafted Chad Muma five picks later.

With Muma and Lloyd on the roster, it’s hard to envision Russell or Quarterman getting a meaningful number of snaps in 2022.