As we slowly approach the 2022 NFL draft, the debate about what the Jags should do with the first overall pick wages on. There are two primary schools of thought with this pick, and they both mostly derive from a value-based analysis.
There’s a general agreement that this pick will be either an edge rusher or offensive tackle. But even within those options, there are several possible choices. If the team chooses to go for an edge rusher, it will likely be either Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson or Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. If it opts for a tackle instead, the choice could likely be Alabama’s Evan Neal or North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu.
However, Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina has an outside-the-box selection in his latest mock draft that no other outlet has predicted. He thinks the team will take an offensive tackle, but not either of the ones many expects. Instead, he has the Jaguars drafting Charles Cross from Mississippi State.
Cross might not be the best overall player in the draft — he’s close — but, in my opinion, he is the best tackle, which is where the Jaguars should focus their attention. Cross exploded onto the scene with a tremendous 2021 campaign that saw his PFF grade rise from 64.4 in 2020 to 86.7. He is as technical and refined as any player in the draft.
Charles Cross is a beast pic.twitter.com/3UtV780g67
— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) September 26, 2020
Cross certainly had a strong college career. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC team in 2020, and he started every game this year, earning multiple First Team All-SEC honors and even a selection as a First Team All-American by Sporting News.
He has great size at 6-foot-5-inches and 310-pounds, and he has a lot of potential as he was just a redshirt sophomore this season. He’s a young player whose draft stock largely stems from his upside, though he’s pro-ready in his own right and would be an interesting pick here.
Still, if the Jags go with an offensive lineman at No. 1, it seems likely the pick will be Neal, who is generally regarded as a better prospect than Cross.
