Big Cat Country
Could the Jags go with an SEC safety in the first round?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired their general manager, and staff, of the future.
Announced Friday, the Jags hired James Gladstone away from the Rams to oversee the team. While it hasn’t directly impacted the mock draft realm just yet, the shakeup in names could be coming soon.
For now, a lineman from Michigan still tops the list.
Hey look, it’s Mason Graham.
If you haven’t heard, Graham leads the clubhouse in links to the Jaguars. It does make sense given the Jags having the league’s worst defensive unit this past season. For a Big Cat Country analysis on Graham, click here.
This seems like a perfect marriage between need, talent and fit. Graham is one of the most consistent players in the class.
This one is another Graham to the Jags mock. By most metrics, if the draft shakes out with guys like Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter going in the top four, Graham could easily be the best player available at fifth overall according to PFN.
Jacksonville needs to draft the best player available to return to playoff contention. Mason Graham has the upside to not only being an elite run defender but also a productive pass rusher. His ability to be extremely disruptive on a snap-to-snap basis will place him into an elite category of NFL defensive linemen.
For some parity, here is a different name. Wilson has Graham going No. 2 overall, and a guy like Hunter dropping to sixth. With the fifth pick, the Jags still go defense in this mock, but actually pick up Carter from Penn State.
A freakish athlete who moved from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher for the 2024 season. Carter is not Micah Parsons — not yet, anyway — but he’s just scratching the surface on what he can do.
A comparison to Micah Parsons is always in good company. In most mocks, Carter doesn’t ever fall to fifth overall.
If another player has been linked to the Jags almost as much as Graham, it’s fellow Michigan man Will Johnson. The corner is the No. 2 guy who pundits think the Jags could pick up in the first round. In most mocks, he isn’t a consistent top-5 pick, but he is in most top-10s.
That fact is important, as Filice has the Jags trading back with the New York Jets to No. 7 to pick up Johnson.
A whole bunch of mocks have Jacksonville taking a Michigan defensive tackle (Mason Graham), but what if the Jaguars instead opt for a Michigan defensive back? Johnson has the pedigree, production and frame of a top cornerback prospect, but there are questions about his long speed. Consequently, you could reasonably argue Johnson has more money riding on a 40-yard dash than any other human in 2025, with a potential eight-figure difference between a time...
