JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Forgive the Jacksonville Jaguars if they’re not completely comfortable drafting at No. 24.
After all, the Jaguars have picked in the top 10 a staggering 14 times in the past 15 years. It’s a remarkable stretch that provides a glimpse into the franchise’s recent futility. Only three of those 14 selections - quarterback Trevor Lawrence and pass rushers Travon Walker and Josh Allen - remain with the team.
Maybe all those failures have the Jaguars poised for some sustained success.
Coming off their second AFC South title, the Jags believe they’re in position to repeat as division champions. General manager Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson made that clear by keeping most of the team’s core intact.
Jacksonville returns 21 of 22 starters from last season’s team that finished 10-9 and ended with a seven-point loss at Kansas City in the divisional round of the playoffs. The lone defection was right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who signed a four-year, $80 million deal with the Chiefs in free agency.
“I hope we do better than last year,” veteran linebacker Foye Oluokun said. “Run it back? We got the same guys, but we know we’ve got steps to take. I don’t think we can have success with how we played last year. I think we have to be better than last year. I’m going to keep preaching that to the guys.”
Jacksonville didn’t make a big splash in free agency for the first time in a decade. Instead, the small-market team reworked several veteran deals to create enough salary cap room to bring back tight end Evan Engram on the franchise tag and add recently reinstated receiver Calvin Ridley.
Now, the upcoming draft will be Jacksonville’s main source of talent acquisition in 2023. And there are holes to fill, some more pressing than others.
PICK ’EM
The Jaguars could line up and play tomorrow with their current roster, so they’re don’t have any glaring weaknesses. They have several options at No. 24, but Baalke has made clear his preference for stockpiling big guys early and often.
So no one should be surprised to see Jacksonville take Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright, Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence, Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee or Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer. They also might settle for one of the many defensive backs projected to go on Day 1: Brian Branch (Alabama), Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State), Cam Smith (South Carolina), Deonte Banks (Maryland), Kelee Ringo (Georgia) or Emmanuel Forbes (Mississippi State).
NEEDS
The Jaguars have four main ones:
- They have 2021 second-round pick Walker Little ready to slide into Taylor’s starting spot. A potentially bigger issue: left tackle Cam Robinson and newly signed backup Josh Wells are recovering from knee injuries sustained in December.
- Jacksonville lost rotational edge rushers Arden Key (signed with Tennessee) and Dawaune Smoot (torn Achilles tendon) and have starter Josh Allen and backup K’Lavon Chaisson entering the final year of their contracts.
- The Jags cut cornerback Shaquill Griffin to save $13.1 million and could use a long-term replacement and immediate nickel help.
- They let tight ends Chris Manhertz and Dan Arnold walk in free agency and haven’t signed Engram to a long-term deal yet. But with a deep tight end draft pool, they’re likely to wait to grab one.
DON’T NEED
Lawrence, second-year center Luke Fortner and third-year running back Travis Etienne could be teamed together for the foreseeable future. None of the middle positions on offense appear to be one Jacksonville needs to address, although finding another backfield mate for Etienne could be a Day 3 option.
Special teams also appear set, with kicker Riley Patterson, punter Logan Cooke and long snapper Ross Matiscik under contract through 2023, 2025 and 2026, respectively.
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