The Jacksonville Jaguars will have no shortage of options when they pick at No. 5 in the 2025 NFL Draft. One that hasn't been discussed nearly enough is trading down a few spots to garner additional picks. Given that they have several needs but not a particular one is specific, the Jags could easily get out of the top 10 and still land a quality player. That's precisely what they do in PFF's latest mock draft and manage to acquire Deebo Samuel along the way.
Regarding the move, Trevor Sikkema of PFF argues that Johnson would give the cornerback position a much-needed boost while Samuel would give new head coach Liam Coen an intriguing chess piece to work with.
"I expect the Jaguars to heavily invest in their offense this offseason now that Liam Coen is head coach, which is why I have them as an early potential destination for wide receiver Deebo Samuel. With Samuel in hand, Jacksonville drafts outside cornerback Will Johnson, who was a top cover player in college football when healthy in 2023. Johnson, Tyson Campbell and Jarrian Jones would be quite the cornerback trio."
Samuel requested a trade after the 2024 season and the 49ers granted it to him on Super Bowl eve. He's coming off a somewhat underwhelming season but has been a mainstay of the San Francisco 49ers since he was drafted in 2019. The past four years, the former South Carolina Gamecock has posted over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and earned a First-Team in 2021.
On the other hand, Johnson is the best cornerback prospect in the draft not named Travis Hunter. He gave up a 61.5 percent completion rate and a passing rating of 52.6 when targeted in 2024. He's been often mocked to the Jags at No. 5 throughout the process, and they would surely be thrilled if he were available at No. 11.
Why the Jaguars may not be able to trade for Deebo Samuel before the draft
The Jacksonville Jaguars would surely love to make the trade Trevor Sikkema suggests if they were able to land Will Johnson at No. 11. That said, it would come with a downside. Deebo Samuel is entering the last year of the $71.5 million deal he signed in 2022. If the Jags were to trade for him, they would take on the $17.5 million left on his contract. They certainly have the cap space to pull it off, but it's hard to tell if the San Francisco 49ers want to get a deal done before the draft.
After all, the Niners would absorb an astonishing $31.55 million in dead money. However, they would split the cap hit in two, $10.7 million in 2025 and $20 next year. If the 49ers find themselves in a cap crunch, they may want until June 1st to ship Samuel.
Then again, holding onto Samuel until June would decrease Samuel's list of potential suitors. After all, most teams will have addressed most of their needs by the time the draft is over. This could force San Francisco to unload the star receiver before June even if it leaves a considerable amount of dead money behind.
Now, you could make the case that moving down six spots in the first round to acquire Samuel is too steep a price, but it probably isn't if the Jacksonville Jaguars can still land one of their top targets while keeping most of their picks.
Grade: A