5 Jacksonville Jaguars whose stock rose following the 2022 NFL Draft

No. 4 Jaguars player whose stock rose after the draft – Josh Allen, OLB

Edge defender Josh Allen’s journey in the NFL hasn’t been linear, far from it. After registering 10.5 sacks as a rookie and earning a Pro Bowl designation, it looked like he was on his way to joining the upper echelon of pass rushers in the NFL. However, he came crashing down the following season, missing eight games and logging just 2.5 sacks after suffering a knee injury.

Allen kind of bounced back last year, appearing in 16 games with 15 starts. He was off to a solid start and had 5.5 sacks in the first half of the season but his performance progressively dwindled as the year progressed and only mustered two the rest of the way. Now, it would be unfair to single out the former Kentucky Wildcat when the Jaguars had to deal with the Urban Meyer fiasco. And now that Doug Pederson is in charge, Allen and other players should see an uptick in production in 2022.

But Pederson and his “steady hand” aren’t the only reason Allen’s stock will rise this upcoming season. The front office provided him plenty of help, first in free agency and later in the draft. In addition to signing former San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arden Key, the Jags brought back Adam Gotsis, a key cog in their defensive line rotation last year. If that wasn’t enough, Jacksonville drafted star defensive lineman Travon Walker, and linebackers Chad Muma and Devin Lloyd.

With better talent around him, Josh Allen should be able to meet the super expectations he set for himself in 2022.