Jacksonville Jaguars address 3 key needs in PFF's recent 2024 NFL Mock Draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars will enter the offseason with clear needs on both sides of the ball. While free agency will be an option, they'll likely likely turn to the 2024 NFL Draft to take care of them. Coincidentally, Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus sees the Jags taking care of most of them in his latest mock.

Sikkema projects Jacksonville to take offensive tackle Graham Barton in the first round, wide receiver Troy Franklin in the second, and edge rusher Adisa Isaac, along with cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, in the third.

In theory, these picks would address three of the four top needs the Jaguars currently have. As Sikemma notes, Graham played offensive tackle, but he's better suited to line up at guard in the NFL, due to his arm length. He could either stop the revolving door the team has experience at left guard, or could allow them to move on from veteran Brandon Scherff in order to free up cap space. Here's a bit of what Sikkema had to say about the Duke Standout.

"Barton plays left tackle for the Duke Blue Devils, but his long-term position in the NFL is likely at guard due to a lack of arm length. That is the area where Barton gets beat the most, but even that doesn’t happen often. He has great core strength and balance, is a fiery blocker and possesses about as good of grip strength as you’ll see. "

Franklin, on the other hand, could be an alternative to Calvin Ridley. As part of the deal the Jags made to trade for Ridley, they'll need to give the Atlanta Falcons a third-round pick if he plays 65 percent of the total offensive snaps in 2023 or reaches 1,000 receiving yards. It will be a second-rounder if they give him a contract extension. If they opt not to re-sign him, the Jags could then use that pick on Franklin, who would give Lawrence another weapon alongside Zay Jones and Christian Kirk.

"Franklin ranks second to only Washington’s Rome Odunze in explosive plays of 15 yards or more (60) over the past two years. He is a smooth vertical threat receiver who already shows a good understanding of releases at the line of scrimmage to get off press and get behind man coverage. He also has great footwork for sideline catches. "

Adisa Isaac would give the defense a third pass rusher to round out their rotation. With Dawuane Smoot and K'Lavon Chaisson set to hit the open market next offseason, adding Isaac makes sense. The same is true for Pritchett, who could be a solid CB3 or an option to potentially replace Tre Herndon in the slot in 2024. At 6'1", he knows how to use his length in press coverage, according to Sikkema.

There's one thing PFF didn't take into account in the Jaguars mock draft

All things considered, this would be a solid draft for the Jaguars. However, they also need to address their interior defensive line and they don't do it until Round 4 with Howard Cross of Notre Dame. Granted, Cross is an intriguing prospect with the potential to develop into a steady contributor in their rotation. That said, it's fair to wonder if the Jaguars should devote more resources to their defensive trenches, especially when you take into account that they've struggled to bring the heat in losses to the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens.

It's also worth pointing out that the Jags will either have one pick in the second round and one in the third, or two in the third. As mentioned previously, they'll need to give the Falcons one, but they're also expected to get a compensatory third-round selection for losing Jawaan Taylor in free agency.

There are four weeks left in the 2023 season. How things play out could have an impact on the Jacksonville Jaguars' offseason plans. One thing is sure, the draft will give them a chance to get better and continue their ascend to the top echelon of teams in the AFC.

Here are more stories from Black & Teal: