Jaguars make bold trade for big-name WR in 7-round 2024 NFL Mock Draft

Trade Alert!!! The Jaguars send picks 48th (second round) and 153rd (fifth round) to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Tee Higgins, WR, picks 48th and 153rd

The Houston Texans sent shockwaves across the league when they acquired receiver Stefon Diggs in exchange for just a second-round selection in early April. A four-time Pro Bowl nod, Diggs gives C.J. Stroud and the Texans' offense a bonafide WR1 that can draw coverage away from Tank Dell and Nico Collins. In this mock, the Jaguars decide to fight fire with fire by trading for a receiver of their own.

Tee Higgins was poised to be the most coveted receiver in free agency but the Cincinnati Bengals prevented him from hitting the open market with the franchise tag. Higgins wasn't thrilled with the decision and requested a trade not long after. It wasn't the fact that he got the tag but rather that Cincy hasn't engaged in contract talks with him in more than a year.

From a Bengals' standpoint, the dearth of negotiations makes sense. Ja'Marr Chase is also in line for a contract and he'll probably want to be the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. That will make it difficult for them to keep both Chase and HIggins.

Cincinnati has made it clear that they won't trade Higgins. However, they may be open to shopping him once they realize that they're better off getting a second-round pick than letting him walk in 2025 and get nothing in return. That's where the Jaguars come in. They need help at wide receiver after losing Calvin Ridley in free agency. Second and fifth-round picks should get a deal done based on the compensation the Buffalo Bills got in exchange for Diggs.

In Jacksonville, Higgins would reunite with Trevor Lawrence, his quarterback at Clemson. Having already built a bond, the pair would have no trouble reconnecting. Higgins is coming off a somewhat underwhelming year but had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2021-2022. He could get his third with the Jaguars.