Jaguars Looking to Strike Gold Again in NFL Draft

Few things went right for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. An Injury-plagued 4-13 season led to the dismissal of general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson. Jacksonville struggled weekly in every facet of the game, forcing the Jaguars' front office to reset.

The Jaguars' defense was arguably the team's biggest weakness last season. This speaks volumes as the Jaguars' offense was without quarterback Trevor Lawrence for much of last season. While the defense suffered injuries too, the unit was still extremely disappointing.

Jacksonville's defense allowed the eighth-most rushing yards and the fifth-fewest sacks of any team in the National Football League this past season. The unit finished tied with the fourth-fewest pressures and third-lowest pressure percentage of any team in the league.

The Jaguars struggled mightily on defense last season, to say the least. However, they can address their defense with one of the top picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Jacksonville has the sixth pick in the draft, and most believe they will address what has become a glaring need.

Rhett Lewis of NFL.com recently released his most recent mock draft, with first-round projections for every team in the National Football League. Lewis believes the Jaguars will begin rebuilding their defense through the defensive line and projects the Jaguars to select Mason Graham.

"A popular mock draft projection, this [Mason] Graham-Jags pairing certainly makes sense. And it really hits home when you think about new GM James Gladstone’s background with the Rams, as he saw firsthand how L.A.’s defense was transformed by the recent selections of Kobie Turner, Jared Verse, Byron Young, and Braden Fiske," Lewis said.

The Jaguars would be wise to build out their offensive and defensive lines, as that is where football games are won and lost. Still, the Jaguars should consider adding additional players in free agency if possible. Graham and a solid draft haul will undoubtedly help the Jaguars improve.

However, Jacksonville's roster has so many issues that it will take much more than one successful draft haul to fix it. The Jaguars have taken a level-headed approach to the offseason, but must soon aggressively address their lines and other roster positions of need this offseason.

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