Big Cat Country
The Michigan-to-Jacksonville pipeline strengthens in this week’s mocks.
Another weekend goes by that the Jacksonville Jaguars are not in the playoffs, so here we are looking at mock drafts.
Not all is doom and gloom with the team however as the Jags have hired Liam Coen as the new head coach.
Even better than that was the news that general manager Trent Baalke was fired.
These moves begin a new era for Jacksonville and will reshape the mock draft outlook. Like last week though, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham leads the way as the team’s early favorite to be picked in the first round but that could easily be subject to change as Coen and whoever takes over as GM plant new information within the building.
For now, at least, early signs point to the Jags bolstering the defensive interior.
Mock draft Mel leads us off this week with the team taking Graham at five. Kiper has Penn State’s Abdul Carter coming off the board one pick ahead to New England making Graham the second defensive lineman off the board. Kiper does acknowledge this pick could go a number of ways depending on how the Jags move or reassign pieces ahead of the draft, but if things stay exactly as they are now, Graham could be the pick to hopefully bring Sacksonville back to the 904.
The Jaguars are probably thinking defense here — it’s just a matter of where on defense. Michigan corner Will Johnson could be the answer opposite Tyson Campbell. Georgia safety Malaki Starks could replace Andre Cisco if Jacksonville doesn’t re-sign Cisco and is open to trading back. But defensive tackle is the biggest need, and Graham is one heck of a football player. He wins with his technique, using leverage to beat interior offensive linemen. Graham could slide between Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen and wreak havoc from the inside.
Early in the mock draft process last year, Illinois defensive lineman Jer’Zahn Newton was the favorite for Jacksonville to take in the first round and with the exact same thought process. That pick obviously went a completely different direction but it’s slightly telling that in back-to-back years, pundits think the defensive line for this team is bad enough that the Jags should potentially focus on it in back-to-back drafts.
Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick
Now this is a fun one. With the fifth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Flick has the Jacksonville Jaguars taking Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Hunter “falls” to Jacksonville in this mock because Cleveland takes Carter at No. 2 and the New England Patriots take Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan at No. 4. Hunter needs no introduction or explanation as to why he could help the Jags. With his ability on both sides of the ball, this could be the best-case scenario for Duval County though Hunter’s money will likely be made at corner.
Jacksonville allowed 257 passing yards per game, the worst mark in the...
