The 2023 NFL season is officially over. It is draft season! The Jacksonville Jaguars had a disappointing 2023 season. They came into the season as the clear favorites in the AFC South. The Houston Texans thought otherwise. Trevor Lawrence struggled at times on the field and with injuries. Inconsistent play on both sides of the ball led to an up-and-down season. However, this team still has loads of talent and simply needs to reload at key positions. Here is the Jacksonville Jaguars 2024 NFL Draft guide.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have nine picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars currently have a solid amount of draft capital. Their mid-round picks are all dependent on what Calvin Ridley does in the offseason. He hit the statistical benchmarks to give the Atlanta Falcons a third-round pick. However, if he signs an extension with the team in a certain timeframe, the second-round pick would go to Atlanta. For the purposes of this article, we will have the Jaguars pick all of their picks.
The Jacksonville Jaguars need the following positions: CB, WR, EDGE, OT, IOL
The Jacksonville Jaguars need some help on the outside. With Ridley’s fate unknown, the team needs some young talent at the wide receiver position. Lawrence is in the top half of quarterbacks in the NFL. They need to surround him with weapons to maximize his window. On defense, the team could use a lockdown corner. With so many great receivers in the game, the Jaguars need to slow them down to take pressure off the offense.
From there, the Jaguars could use some help on the offensive line. The unit is pretty good but needs to build depth. Injuries on the offensive line killed them last year; a big part of it was the lack of depth. Look for the team to use day three picks to build that depth.
Mock drafts are done on NFL Mock Draft Database. No trades were executed. Obviously, teams tend to wheel and deal, but this is meant to give a look at what the team can do with the draft capital they currently have.
Jacksonville Jaguars Mock Draft
It was a toss-up whether to give the Jacksonville Jaguars a CB or a WR with the first-round pick. Ultimately, wide receivers can often be found later in the draft. DeJean was the last top-tier corner on the board, and the Jaguars snagged him. He can play anywhere on the field and even has some special teams value. Getting Polk in the second round isn’t a bad way to wrap up the first two rounds.
They build the trenches in the middle of the draft. Getting Van Pran and Fisher will help build quality depth. Kamara is a wild card at the edge rusher position, but by the fifth round, taking a flyer on a player isn’t a bad idea. Overall, the Jaguars build some depth while adding some electric pieces.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are eager to take back control of the AFC South. This team might have a chip on their shoulder next season, which might help them. Ultimately, any team with a solid quarterback has a chance, and Jacksonville has that in Trevor Lawrence.
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Jon Gruden sent another warning shot toward the NFL after scoring a major win in court. On Tuesday, Gruden welcomed a ruling that will force the NFL to litigate the circumstances of his firing in court rather than closed-door arbitration. The former Las Vegas Raiders coach made clear that he intends to continue his legal challenge to the NFL to ensure that they are held accountable. “I’m looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. “The league’s actions disrupted the whole season. We were leading the division at the time and they completely blindsided me and the team.” The Raiders were 3-1 in 2021 when Gruden was forced to resign after some offensive emails that he sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. Gruden has alleged that the NFL leaked the emails to force him out of a job after obtaining them during an investigation into the Washington Commanders. The NFL is set to appeal Monday’s ruling, but if that appeal fails, the league may be forced into public discovery. One alternative would be to offer Gruden a settlement, but he has not said whether or not he would be interested in such a resolution. Gruden has not held an NFL coaching job since the Raiders forced him out. He has recently spoken about possibly making a return to coaching at the college level.
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields found out he has a long way to go following his performance at Tuesday's joint practice with the New York Giants. Per Connor Hughes of SNY TV, Fields started hot at the practice before struggling during the move-the-ball period. "Very interesting practice for #Jets QB Justin Fields," Hughes posted on X. "He finished 7 of 12 with a TD. 5 of 5 to start practice. Then 0 for 4. Finished 2 of 3 with the really impressive TD to Jeremy Ruckert in red zone (starter 18 yard line). "The offensive performance was a bit alarming in move-the-ball period of practice. Fields Co. had three attempts to get down field. They didn’t gain a first down. Only gained yards twice (two short Breece Hall runs). Three sacks. That needs to be fixed. #Giants defense toyed with NYJ during that period." Some Jets fans online thought Hughes was using hyperbole to characterize the practice, but he doubled down on his judgment of the offense. Fields looked strong on his first and only drive in the Jets' 30-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. He went 3-of-4 passing for 42 yards and rushed two times for 14 yards and a touchdown. However, the Giants defense at the joint practice is a much better unit than the short-handed one the Packers trotted out for the first preseason game. Fields' issues seen with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, with holding the ball too long and not being able to pass consistently downfield, were a factor against the Giants. Following Saturday's game, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Fields was getting better but had a lot to improve on. Tuesday's practice was a humbling reminder that Fields needs to become a consistent passer if the Jets are going to move the ball on good defenses in the regular season.
The Houston Astros' playoff push received a devastating blow on Tuesday. The Astros announced that closer Josh Hader was placed on the injured list with a strained left shoulder. Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reported that Hader will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the strain. Hader has been utterly dominant for the Astros in 2025. He had posted a 2.05 ERA and a 0.854 WHIP over his 52.2 innings, striking out 76 batters with 16 walks. Hader had notched 28 saves in 29 attempts as he continued to make a case as the best closer in the game. As the July 31 trade deadline has passed, the Astros may have no option but to cobble the ninth inning together out of what they already have. Reliever Bennett Sousa recorded the one-out save on Monday and is second on the team with four saves. Fellow relievers Bryan Abreu, Bryan King and Steven Okert have impressed this season. The Astros, on paper at least, have plenty of depth in the bullpen. Despite that depth, the ninth inning is now a question mark. Abreu has notched nine saves in his career, the most of any of the Astros' other late-inning options. A reunion with reliever Ryan Pressly, who was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Cubs, could be a possibility. Pressly does have closing experience but struggled to a 4.35 ERA and a 1.524 WHIP over his 41.1 innings in Chicago. Meanwhile, the Mariners have been white-hot since the trade deadline, winning nine of their last 10 games, including seven in a row heading into Tuesday. That surge has the Mariners just a game behind the Astros in a suddenly competitive AL West. The Guardians and Rangers are within 6.5 games of Houston, well within striking distance should the Astros falter. If Hader is on the injured list for an extended period, the Astros may be fighting for a playoff berth by the end of the season.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell thinks he set his team up for failure last season with the messages he sent. The Lions won the NFC North and the top overall seed in the NFC Playoffs by going 15-2, but lost in their first playoff game to the Washington Commanders. In a new interview with WXYZ in Detroit, Campbell confessed that he thinks his messaging led the Lions to get too complacent after achieving the goal of securing the No. 1 seed. “There was a little part of me last year, I’m like, Man, did I put such an emphasis on the one-seed, playing at home, all these things that it was almost like — the set of circumstances, we had a bunch of injuries — that it was like, [sigh]. We took a deep breath,” Campbell said. “And then it was like, ‘Oh man, we reached one of those goals,’ but the ultimate goal is the Super Bowl.” “So I just, in my own head, did I set us up for failure by the way that I spoke about it? I think about little things like that. Whereas, you know what? We didn’t lose on the road last year. What if we had gone on the road?” Campbell is quick to take responsibility when his team loses, but last year’s playoff exit was particularly shocking. The Minnesota Vikings pushed them all the way to Week 18, giving them no real opportunity to exhale. Their playoff bye may have given them an opportunity to do that when they shouldn’t have. Of course, Campbell was plenty confident in his team heading into the playoffs. Still, the messaging will clearly be different in Detroit this season.