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Five targets for the Jaguars' other, first-round Draft pick

With the Rams season-ending loss, the Jaguars will officially have the No. 1 and No. 25 selections. Here’s five players for them to consider

The Jaguars are drafting Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence with the first-selection in this April’s NFL Draft.

That’s not up for discussion. We’ll hold off on “Mia’s Mock Draft Monday's” until after the NFL Combine, but, spoiler alert: Lawrence will be No. 1 in every iteration.

The real discussion centers around the Jaguars second, first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. It’s the second first-rounder acquired by the Jaguars via the 2019 Jalen Ramsey trade to the Los Angeles Rams (the first merited edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson last April). After the Rams’ 32-18 loss to the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round, that pick officially locked in at No. 25 overall. There’s a myriad of routes the Jaguars could take with that pick.

Let’s explore a few.

1. Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama

The Jaguars ranked 29th in rushing yards allowed and 28th in rushing touchdowns allowed. That included 273 yards in the season finale to AFC South rival Indianapolis – 253 yards courtesy rookie running back Jonathan Taylor. Taylor isn’t going anywhere. Neither is the Titans’ Derrick Henry.

And Taven Bryan isn’t the answer.

Enter: Barmore. The redshirt sophomore came on strong down the stretch of the Crimson Tide’s National Championship run. His 6’5’’, 310 lb frame can single-handily fill gaps; when you add in  his array of swim moves in pass rush – and versatility playing multiple positions along the line – Barmore immediately enters the first-round conversation. Barmore was a late-bloomer in high school, originally committed to Temple before a strong, senior season put him on the national radar. He then redshirted his first year in Tuscaloosa to prepare his body for SEC competition. Translation: there’s not a lot of tread on the tires. The 9.5 TFL and eight sacks we saw from Barmore this year are scratching the surface.

The Jaguars found a diamond-in-the-rough getting DaVon Hamilton in the third-round of the 2020 NFL Draft. They can’t bank on that in 2021. Moreover, Hamilton isn’t the interior pass rusher [yet] that Calais Campbell was. Even with Al Woods (opt-out) and Abry Jones (ankle injury) presumably returning in 2021, the Jags need to prioritize bolstering the depth along their defensive line.

ALSO CONSIDERED: Jay Tufele (DT, USC), Daviyon Nixon (DT, Iowa)

2. Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia

There’s not a ton of Day One-starters in this year’s cornerback crop, and it’s why I could see the Jaguars’ prioritizing finding a complement to C.J. Henderson in Round One. Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech) and Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) are almost guaranteed to be off the board by No. 25. There’s a chance South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn is there… but again: given the lack of depth in this year’s corner class, the run on outside defensive backs could come early.

Stokes took a huge step-forward in the ball-hawking category in 2020, hauling in four interceptions – including two for score. One of those pick-six’s came in this year’s Florida-Georgia Game at TIAA Bank Field. C.J. Henderson, like Jalen Ramsey before him, is much more content with playing a physical brand of corner, so his running mate should compliment that. The first-team All-American Stokes also served as a captain for the Dawgs in 2020. Henderson is not a vocal leader, so, Stokes could prove complimentary both on-and-off the field.

There’s also a chance Urban Meyer and his new staff are content with the current tandem of Henderson and Tre Herndon/Sidney Jones. But with nickel cornerback D.J. Hayden almost certainly on his way out of town, Herndon could slide into that position, where he was originally the back-up. The Jaguars’ moves in free agency will affect this position more than any other.

ALSO CONSIDERED: Jaycee Horn (CB, South Carolina – if he’s there, take him)

3. Alijah Vera-Tucker, IOL, USC

I polled some of my friends this weekend with what position they felt the Jaguars needed to address with this second, first-round pick. One friend said something that struck me: “the Jaguars need to go offensive line to show Trevor Lawrence they’re committed to protecting him.”

Personally, I think the Jaguars should bring back their entire offensive line as is in 2021. They were above-average this fall, and right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s sophomore slump will most certainly be righted.

However, that shouldn’t stop them from drafting multiple offensive linemen. The Big Cats have 11 draft selections, and while I anticipate Meyer being a bit more inclined to trade up for a player he wants than Dave Caldwell, the Jaguars need depth.

The interior of the Jaguars’ offensive line features their second, third, and fourth highest-paid players on the team in Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, and A.J. Cann. Norwell and Cann are both in the final year of their contracts, while Linder has two more years remaining. Ben Bartch was drafted last year for depth, and, perhaps, eventually succeeding either Norwell or Cann. Veteran back-up center Tyler Shatley is not under contract as of now for 2021; when injuries mounted, Shatley was forced into action at guard this fall.

Vera-Tucker played left tackle this year for the Trojans, but played left guard his redshirt sophomore and freshman seasons. That versatility, combined with elite athleticism, makes him a first-rounder and a great option for the Jaguars should they opt to not extend left tackle Cam Robinson as well (more on that in a second).

ALSO CONSIDERED: Wyatt Davis (IOL, Ohio State)

4. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

I have to give credit where credit is due with this one, and that’s The Draft Network’s Mid-Week Mock podcast.

In every mock draft I’ve done in my spare time, I haven’t selected a linebacker for the Jaguars until after the 5th round. With Myles Jack and Joe Schobert both locked up for seasons to come (and with impressive 2020 campaigns), there are too many other pressing needs to fixate on the linebacker position.

That changes depending on which scheme Urban Meyer and the Jaguars’ new defensive coordinator ultimately decide to run. Meyer has maintained he will take the best player available and cater the scheme to the players he has. The Jaguars have spent the better part of the last four seasons trying to fit square pegs into circle holes, whether it was Dawuane Smoot being jerked from Edge Rusher to 3-Tech and back again, or, more recently, Todd Wash’s insistence on lining up K’Lavon Chaisson with a hand in the ground at defensive end.

Owusu-Koramoah is a chess piece. He can blitz. He can drop back in coverage. He can rack up tackles. He can drop into a nickel-safety spot if need be – and keep up with wide receivers in the slot. If he’s on the board at No. 25, *technically* he would, by all accounts, be “the best player available.”

Outside of Schobert and Jack, the Jaguars have four linebackers on the books in 2021. Shaq Quarterman is being groomed as the back-up at MIKE. Joe Giles-Harris was arguably the Jaguars’ best pass-rusher down the stretch when he filled in for Jack at WILL linebacker. Leon Jacobs is coming off an ACL tear. Quincy Williams was a healthy scratch down the stretch.

Much like interior offensive line: lack of depth could come back to haunt the Big Cats. Moreover, I believe Meyer and his staff will be more committed to curtailing their scheme to the players they’ve been given.

ALSO CONSIDERED: Zaven Collins (LB, Tulsa)

5. Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

Okay, let’s circle back to what I like to call “The Curious Case of Cam Robinson.” Urban Meyer said in his introductory press conference that who the team selects at No. 1 overall will be “one of the biggest decisions of his life.”

What he does at left tackle in 2021 is also on that list.

Robinson, the Jaguars’ second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, has run out the course of his four-year, rookie contract. There’s been some good (including flashes this year) and some bad (ACL tear in 2018, playing while still recovering in 2019). The Jaguars can use the franchise tag on Robinson or opt to sign a free agent like the veteran Trent Williams. Is Robinson elite? Not particularly: he was credited with five penalties and five sacks this season. But, unlike a rookie walking in, has Robinson played in big games? Yes. There’s some security in knowing that.

With that said: Darrisaw is a massive human. He’s shown technical growth each of his three seasons in Blacksburg and is a dominant run blocker. The 6’5’’, 314 lb Darrisaw was a three-year starter at left tackle, including a Freshman All-American campaign. He’s OT2 behind only the prodigal, Penei Sewell on most mock draft boards. And if he’s there at No. 25, he might be too good to pass up.

As previously stated: if I’m the Jaguars’ top brass, I’m drafting multiple offensive linemen. It’s a matter of how important offensive tackle is on the priority list that will determine whether the No. 25 pick is used on an OT, as opposed to later in the Draft.

ALSO CONSIDERED: Liam Eichenberg (OT, Notre Dame), Samuel Cosmi (OT, Texas), Alex Leatherwood (OT/OG, Alabama – if the Jaguars hold off on OT at No. 25, Leatherwood should be considered for one of their two, second-round selections)

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