Draftees the Jaguars regret ignoring in favor of RB Leonard Fournette in 2017

Running back Leonard Fournette was a fine prospect coming out of college. However, it was a bit surprising to see the Jacksonville Jaguars take him fourth overall in 2017. At the time, the Jags had built a stout defense and well-rounded offense but there were many other prospects they could have selected with such a premium pick.

After all, you can always find a good running back in the later rounds. Even if you leave aside Joe Mixon, who was dealing with character red flags ahead of the draft, 2017 was a good year to find a running back. Besides Mixon, Round 2 also featured Dalvin Cook while Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt were picked in the third round by the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.

Simply put, the Jags should have addressed other positions in the first round, and here are five non-Patrick Mahomes players they could've gone with.

No. 5 draftee the Jaguars regret ignoring in favor of Leonard Fournette: Jonathan Allen, DT

The Jaguars had just signed defensive end Calais Campbell in free agency and drafted Yannick Ngakoue the year before. Moreover, Malik Jackson and 2015 first-round selection Dante Fowler were still on the roster, so fortifying the defensive trenches didn't seem to be a priority for Jacksonville in 2017. Nevertheless, Jonathan Allen would have been a good pick at No. 4.

Allen has been a productive player for the Washington Commanders, appearing in 85 games and registering 33.5 sacks and 329 total tackles since they made him the 17th overall selection in 2017. Also, it's probable that the Jaguars wouldn't have traded for Marcell Dareus that year if they had gone with the Alabama product at No. 4.

You could argue that Allen has never tallied 10 sacks in a season but he's coming off two consecutive Pro Bowl trips. Moreover, the Jags would have potentially gotten a 10-year starter, and isn't that what teams are looking for in the first round of the draft?