3 trade targets who should be on the Jaguars' radar during draft season

2. The Jaguars should keep an eye on Matthew Judon

The Jacksonville Jaguars have taken several steps toward bolstering the pass rush. They started by letting K'Lavon Chaisson and Dawuane Smoot walk in free agency. And yes, that's a positive when you take into account that neither made a big impact last season.

Granted, Smoot was recovering from an Achilles tear and could eventually return to Jacksonville, but for the time being, he remains unsigned. In the meantime, the Jags have added Trevis Gipson to the rotation.

A fourth-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2020, Gipson is coming off an unremarkable season but he's shown that he can bring the heat in the right system. Back in 2021 he registered seven sacks. Ryan Nielsen could help him get back on track. Having said that, the front office cannot stop bringing in reinforcements.

It's hard to see the Jaguars taking a pass rusher early in the draft after giving Josh Allen a monster extension. However, they should definitely pick one in the third or fourth round. An alternative would be to trade for an established veteran.

The front office showed interest in Danielle Hunter at several points of 2023, but they were too gun-shy to make a trade. They should be more assertive this year and spare no expenses if they want to fortify their pass rush. if Matthew Judon is available, the Jaguars should get in touch with the New England Patriots.

Judon is coming off an injury-riddled season but he tallied 15.5 sacks as recently as 2022. He's entering a contract year and there's a new regime in place. While head coach Jared Mayo was part of the Patriots' defensive staff during Judon's three-year stint in Foxborough, they're starting a rebuild and he may not be part of their future.

If New England wants to load up on assets to speed up the makeover, trading Judon seems like a reasonable decision, one they could make during the draft.