5 Jacksonville Jaguars whose stock rose following the 2022 NFL Draft

No. 5 Jaguars player whose stock rose after the draft, Trevor Lawrence, QB

The Jaguars only drafted two offensive players in this year’s selection meeting, interior offensive lineman Luke Fortner at No. 65 and running back Snoop Conner in the fifth round. But that doesn’t mean the Jaguars didn’t help Trevor Lawrence. As a matter of fact, general manager Trent Baalke did the responsible thing and fortify the defense, ensuring that the sophomore quarterback doesn’t have to outscore teams to win games in 2022.

Instead of putting all his eggs in the proverbial basket, Baalke bolstered the Jaguars’ front seven in the draft. You could argue that the Jaguars should have invested at least one pick in the wide receiver position but it might have been excessive after signing Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in free agency.

Simply, there was no more room for yet another receiver with Marvin Jones Jr., Laquon Treadwell and Laviska Shenault Jr. already on the roster. Plus, Jacksonville signed Notre Dame’s Kevin Austin Jr. after the draft, so they did technically acquire another wide receiver.

Similarly, the Jags signed Evan Engram, so tight end wasn’t a pressing need in the draft either. If you think about it, the team’s brass focused on making upgrades to their defense in the draft because they had already addressed the offense in free agency, and after a busy offseason, Trevor Lawrence has enough talent around him to make a huge leap in Year 2.