The Jacksonville Jaguars managed to retain a couple of core defensive pieces when they re-signed cornerback Montaric Brown and linebacker Dennis Gardeck. However, they still need to give defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile more talent to work with.
In Campanile's first season at the helm, the Jacksonville defense became a top-10 unit just one year afer being one of the worst in the NFL. However, there are a few areas where they left a bit to be desired because the Jags didn't have enough talent at certain positions.
If Jacksonville wants to change that, the team's brass will need to get Campanile reinforcements, which is precisely what it does in Fansided's latest three-round mock draft.
The Jaguars get Keith Abney and Domonique Orange in Fansided's mock draft
Cody Williams of Fansided did a three-round mock draft and had the Jags go all-defense, taking a pair of cornerbacks and reinforcing the interior trenches.
At No. 56, Williams has the Jags rolling with Keith Abney II, noting that they could use help at the position even after re-signing Montaric Brown. Here's the skinny.
"Abney broke out this past season for the Sun Devils with a 46.1 passer rating allowed and two picks," Williams wrote. "He's a bit better in zone than in man, but it is a plus run defender and versatile enough to be a rotational player right away who has upside to grow into more."
With Brown in the mix, Jacksonville has the flexibility to wait to add reinforcements at cornerback. Moreover, two-way star Travis Hunter is slated to play defense full-time in 2026. Nevertheless, Abney would give them stability at the position long-term.
The fact that Abney is just one of a few boundary corners worth taking a flyer on in Round 2 in a class stacked with nickel cornerbacks makes him an even more intriguing pick. Keep in mind that the former Arizona State Sun Devil has previously been mocked to Jacksonville, so targeting him looks like a no-brainer.
In Round 3, the Jags use the 81st overall pick on defensive lineman Domonique Orange (Iowa State) and pass rusher Romello Heights. The former would give them an intriguing talent to round out their interior rotation, while the latter would give them a No. 3 behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen on the edges.
And with their last pick in Round 3, the 100th overall, the Jaguars double down at cornerback, taking Chandler Rivers (Duke).
The Jaguars need to make upgrades at cornerback and defensive tackle in the draft
In case you were wondering, the Jags got two extra selections from the Detroit Lions in Round 3 because they agreed to move down in last year's draft. It would make sense to use them to fortify what are seemingly two of the team's two most pressing needs.
While the Jaguars did a good job of pressuring quarterbacks, their 32 sacks ranked near the cellar of the league. Granted, sacks aren't the only way to measure a pass rush, but the best defenses routinely record at a high rate. Moreover, they're the kind of play that can stall momentum, so the more you have, the better your odds of stopping opponents from reaching the end zone will be.
Either way, the Jags struggled to bring the heat because they lacked a game-changer at defensive tackle, which allowed opposing offenses to double-team Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. This, in turn, forced the Jacksonville cornerbacks to hold up in coverage longer than they should.
When you take this into consideration, it makes sense for the Jaguars to allocate a substantial amount resources to the defense. Could the offense also use upgrades? You bet, but the team's brass is better off taking care of two areas that ended up holding them back in 2026.