JACKSONVILLE – You never have enough pass rushers.
That tried-and-true NFL saying helps explain today’s jaguars.com 2019 mock draft 3.0 – our second mock in two weeks and our third overall this offseason.
This mock again will be influenced by the Jaguars’ offseason approach. Having spent free agency addressing needs, their hope during the April 25-27 2019 NFL Draft will be to draft as much as possible the best player available.
That premise led to Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams being the selection in mock draft 2.0 a couple of weeks back. For the purposes of this mock, we’ll assume Williams – who many consider the draft’s best player regardless of position – is off the board.
And because we’re assuming the Jaguars will lean to best available and away from need, this mock for the Jaguars again will leave alone perceived needs such as offensive tackle and tight end.
That means passing on a couple of players widely mocked to the Jaguars in recent weeks: right tackle Jawaan Taylor of Florida and tight end T.J. Hockenson of Iowa.
Both remain logical selections for the Jaguars. Both could be the selections in a week and a half.
But for this mock, we’ll assume the Jaguars will be looking to strengthen the pass rush – and that’s never a bad assumption considering Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin’s philosophy of building a defensive line that can substitute in waves.
Montez Sweat, Mississippi State.
Sweat, a 6-feet-6, 260-pound edge player who ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection each of his last two collegiate seasons. He had 22 sacks over those last two seasons.
Will the Jaguars opt for defense on April 25? Will they bolster an already-strong defensive line for the present and try to secure the pass rush for the future? If so, Sweat seems like a solid projection – one with the talent to someday develop into an elite pass rusher.
After all, you can never have enough good pass rushers.
Here’s a look at senior writer John Oehser’s third 2019 NFL Mock Draft:
1. Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma
2. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, edge, Ohio State
3. New York Jets: Josh Allen, edge, Kentucky
4. Oakland Raiders: Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin White, LB, Louisiana State
6. New York Giants: Rashan Gary, DE, Michigan
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Montez Sweat, edge, Mississippi State
8.Detroit Lions: Brian Burns, edge, Florida St.
9. Buffalo Bills: Jawaan Taylor, RT, Florida
10. Denver Broncos: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
11. Cincinnati Bengals: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State
12. Green Bay Packers: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa
13. Miami Dolphins: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
14. Atlanta Falcons: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
15. Washington Redskins: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Mississippi
16. Carolina Panthers: Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
17. New York Giants (from Cleveland): Daniel Jones, QB, Duke
18. Minnesota Vikings: Jonah Williams, OL, Alabama
19. Tennessee Titans: Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
21. Seattle Seahawks: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
22. Baltimore Ravens: Garrett Bradbury, C, N.C. State
23. Houston Texans: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
24. Oakland Raiders (from Chicago): Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
25. Philadelphia Eagles: Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama
26. Indianapolis Colts: A.J. Brown, WR, Mississippi
27. Oakland Raiders (from Dallas): Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson
28.Los Angeles Chargers: Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame
29.Kansas City Chiefs: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
30.Green Bay Packers (from New Orleans): Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia
31.Los Angeles Rams: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
32.New England Patriots: Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa St.
