Jacksonville Jaguars go D-Line in The 33rd Team's recent 2023 NFL Draft Redo

The Jacksonville Jaguars could've addressed different positions in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. They ultimately chose to bolster their offensive line with Anton Harrison, who's filled the void Jawaan Taylor left when he joined the Kansas City Chiefs. While Harrison has progressively got better as the season progressed, the Jags took an alternate path in The 33rd Team's latest do-over, picking defensive tackle Keeanu Benton at No. 27.

Marcus Mosher of the 33rd Team redid this year's draft and had several picks changing their original first-round selections. There were a few exceptions though, the Buffalo Bills went with Dalton Kincaid once again, but that's probably only because the Detroit Lions chose fellow tight end Sam Laporta (instead of linebacker Jack Campbell) one round earlier.

Another noteworthy change was the Carolina Panthers going with C.J. Stroud, not Bryce Young, with the first overall selection. Stroud is currently having one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL history. Meanwhile, Young, who's off to a rough start to his NFL career, falls to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 7. The Jaguars for their part, take Benton, who originally landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 50th overall selection.

So why does Mosher have the Jaguars addressing their defensive trenches and not the right tackle position? He argues that Benton would make their interior defensive line more dynamic.

"Benton has been highly disruptive to the Steelers and has played all over the defensive line. Pairing him with Josh Allen and Travon Walker would give Jacksonville one of the better defensive lines in the AFC. "

All things considered, Benton has been a good pick for Pittsburgh, especially with their defensive line missing Cameron Heyward and Montravious Adams at different stretches of the season. The rookie out of Wisconsin has played 45 percent of the Steelers' defensive snaps, logging 15 total pressures and one sack. Heyward, for one, has been impressed with Benton's play, pointing out that he doesn't get nearly as much credit as he deserves.

Meanwhile, Anton Harrison was a Day One starter at right tackle and hasn't missed a game despite the fact that he's dealt with ankle and back injuries. While he struggled early in the season, he's progressively gotten better, especially in pass protection.

The Jaguars made the rigth decision when they drafted Anton Harrison at No. 27

Left guard, cornerback, and the pass rush seemed to be the Jaguars' biggest needs entering the draft. However, they also needed to address the offensive tackle position due to Cam Robinson getting a four-game suspension to start the 2023 season. At the time, it was uncertain what their plan was, with Walker Little, a second-round pick in 2021, having the flexibility to play both tackle spots.

The Jags ended up taking offensive tackle Anton Harrison but in a bit of an unexpected turn of events, they drafted him to play right side even though he had mostly lined up on the left side at Oklahoma. Although he's hit a few bumps along the way, his transition is coming along nicely. It's true that he allowed up three sacks and five pressures in the first two weeks of the season, but he's given up just two sacks and 13 pressures in the last nine.

Looking back, the decision not to pay a premium for Jawaan Taylor, letting him walk in free agency, and drafting Harrison to replace him was the right call, even if it took the Jaguars a bit of time to see a return on their investment.

There's no denying Keeanu Benton has been a fine player for the Steelers but the Jaguars would gladly draft Anton Harrison again if given the chance.

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