Mock drafts favor defensive picks for Jaguars

Left to right, Florida's C.J. Henderson, Clemson's Isaiah Simmons, Auburn's Derrick Brown and LSU's Kristian Fulton. (Associated Press)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – NFL mock draft season is upon us.

The Jaguars, coming off of a 6-10 season, have a pair of selections in the first round, their own and one from the Rams as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade.

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A slew of mock drafts released over the past two days have the Jaguars doubling down on the defensive side of the ball with their two first-round picks.

Only ESPN’s Todd McShay, who’s last mock was released more than two weeks ago, has the Jaguars using one of those picks on offense. McShay has Jacksonville using pick No. 20 on Southern Cal offensive tackle Austin Jackson.

Five other mocks released this week all have Jacksonville going defense-heavy. Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, and cornerbacks Kristian Fulton (LSU) and C.J. Henderson (Florida) are all widely mocked to the Jaguars.

It’s easy to see why defense is a trendy pick for the Jaguars.

Jacksonville was strafed in multiple games last season. It ranked 24th in the league in yards allowed (375.4) and gave up 24.8 points per game. The Jaguars run defense ranked 28th in the league (139.3 ypg). Several players on the defensive side of the ball are expected to the salary cap casualties as well.

The NFL draft is April 23-25.

NFL mock drafts

Charlie Casserly, NFL.com

9. ILB Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

20. CB Kristian Fulton, LSU

Luke Eastering, USA Today

9. DL Derrick Brown, Auburn

20. CB Kristian Fulton, LSU

Tom Fornelli, CBSSports.com

9. DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

20. LB Patrick Queen, LSU

Kevin Hanson, SI.com

9. Derrick Brown, Auburn

20. CB C.J. Henderson, Florida

Mel Kiper, ESPN ($)

9. OLB Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

20. CB C.J. Henderson, Florida

Todd McShay, ESPN ($)

9. DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina

20. OT Austin Jackson, Southern Cal


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.