Jacksonville Jaguars find Jawaan Taylor's replacement: 3-Round 2023 NFL Mock Draft

Jacksonville Jaguars 2nd Round 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Deonte Banks, CB

The consensus seems to agree that cornerback is the Jaguars' biggest need this offseason even though they had a pair of solid starters in Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams. On top of that, they brought back veteran Tre Herndon, who can play nickel or in the boundaries.

Having said that, the Jaguars need to round out their cornerback group. Herndon is solid but not the long-term answer in the slot. Similarly, Tevaughn Campbell, Chris Claybrooks, Gregory Junior, and Montaric Brown are currently nothing more than depth pieces. This is why general manager Trent Baalke has to find a difference-maker at the position in the draft. Fortunately for the Jags, this year's cornerback class is deep, so they should be able to find a good one in the second or third round.

Cam Smith of South Carolina would be great due to his ability to play inside and outside. Texas A&M defensive back Antonio Johnson would also be an enticing option. However, they're projected to be drafted late in the first round or early in Day 2, so they'll most likely be gone by the time the Jags choose at No. 56. On the other hand, Deonte Banks of Maryland should still be available.

Banks mostly played in the perimeter in college and needs to work on calibrating his aggressiveness at when jamming wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. However, he possesses rare lateral ability for a corner his size ( 6"2' and 205 pounds), which makes him an intriguing pickup in the second round.