We are less than a month away from the NFL Draft, and there seems to be little buzz about it.
That’s because there is no clear-cut top player and the quarterback class isn’t that good. Sure, there might be a star who emerges from the quarterbacks, but I think if Houston’s Davis Mills was in this draft, he would be the first quarterback taken. He went in the third round last year.
That’s why the buzz isn’t great. It’s also why doing mock drafts get tougher as we get closer to the actual draft.
The issues start at the top. What will the Jaguars do? In my first mock, I had them taking Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson. But the more I think about it, tackle Evan Neal from Alabama makes more sense, so he’s the pick here.
The Jaguars put the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson, but he hasn’t signed it or signed a long-term extension. That leaves open the possibility of taking Neal and taking the tag off of Robinson or trading him. They could also keep Robinson, draft Neal, and then play Neal at right tackle or guard, two positions he also played at Alabama.
The Jaguars would then have four tackles on the roster in Robinson, Neal, Walker Little and Jawaan Taylor, who struggled as their right tackle last season, but they need to be better up front.
If they all were to come to camp, the coaches could figure out who plays where. If Robinson is gone, they would likely play Neal at left tackle and let Little and Taylor compete on the right side. Or maybe Little plays left tackle and Neal and Walker compete.
No matter how you look at it, they need to get better up front. This offseason has been about Trevor Lawrence, adding two receivers, a top-dollar guard and a tight end in free agency. Neal would be another piece, which is why I have him going first in this mock, my Mock. 2.0. That can change as we move closer, but I think it would be the right pick.
Elsewhere, Monday’s Saints-Eagles trade might just be the first of several as we ready for the draft to get here.
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