From the moment the Jaguars secured the top pick in last year’s draft, it was obvious who the team was going to take. Aside from a small group of contrarians, everyone knew quarterback Trevor Lawrence would be coming to town.
This time around is different, though. There’s no clear-cut player at the top, and there are a few different positions the team could target. However, the prevailing wisdom around the league seems to be that an offensive tackle — likely Alabama’s Evan Neal — will be the pick.
There’s still a chance the team could look to take a pass-rusher like Aidan Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux with the pick, but Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski thinks that passing on protection for Lawrence is the one mistake Jacksonville must avoid in this draft.
As Sobleski mentions, drafting a left tackle with the first pick would give the Jaguars the ability to let Robinson go in free agency and avoid a pricey, long-term deal.
Acquiring an edge rusher is still a need, but it could be addressed later in a draft that’s deep at the position. The team’s overall top priority needs to be building around Lawrence on offense, and a franchise blindside blocker would be a great piece to add.
The Jaguars have time to figure it out, but they can’t afford to get this decision wrong.