JACKSONVILLE – We're a couple of months out from Round 1.
That means we're still guessing – really, really guessing – when it comes to the Jaguars' two first-round selections in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The guess here remains the Jaguars could focus on offensive line, defensive line or cornerback with those two selections. And while we went defensive tackle and cornerback back in January with the first jaguars.com 2020 mock draft, we're going a sort-of-similar direction at one spot while veering a little at the other this time around.
The projected direction this time: Defensive tackle and offensive tackle – and as always when mocking the draft, that direction depends on many moving parts for many teams in front of the Jaguars at each selection.
The selections in front of the No. 9 selection are intriguing. While many analysts believe the teams with the top three selections – Cincinnati, Washington and Detroit – may be locked in on Louisiana State quarterback Joe Burrow, Ohio State edge Chase Young and Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah (in that order), the rest of the Top 10 selections are far less certain.
Will the Miami Dolphins take Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa No. 5, followed by the Los Angeles Chargers selecting Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert? Many analysts believe so.
All of that could be good for the Jaguars if they're coveting defensive tackle or offensive tackle. If they're coveting one of the top quarterbacks …
Well, then obviously not so much.
For the purposes of this mock – version 2.0 – we projected Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown to the Carolina Panthers at No. 9; Brown had been our projection to the Jaguars at No. 9 overall in January. Still, with or without Brown available, defensive tackle still makes a lot of sense for the Jaguars this offseason. So, for the purposes of this mock, we project to the Jaguars at No. 9 overall …
Javon Kinlaw, defensive tackle, South Carolina.
Some analysts project Kinlaw to the Jaguars at No. 20 overall, but others are projecting him as high as the last few spots of the Top 10. He seems like a logical fit at No. 9.
A primary purpose of this mock is to see potential options available to the Jaguars. In this case, offensive tackle could be an option with Jedrick Wills Jr. of Alabama still available. Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy are available at No. 9 in this mock, too.
We veered into a new direction at No. 20, where we went cornerback in the January version of this mock. This time around, we projected the Jaguars selecting Louisville left tackle Mekhi Becton here. How the Jaguars' offensive line would look next season would remain to be seen, but selecting quality offensive linemen never is a bad thing – and the group figures to look different in some capacity next season.
In this mock, Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs, Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones and Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson – all projected to the Jaguars at No. 20 by some analysts in recent weeks – are available with the Jaguars on the clock at that position.
Those are a few possibilities. But remember: This is a whole lot of speculating and guessing, which means much remains to be determined before anyone's on the clock.
Here's the second jaguars.com 2020 mock draft:
1.Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow, QB, Louisiana State
2. Washington Redskins | Chase Young, DL, Ohio State
3. Detroit Lions | Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
4. New York Giants | Isaiah Simmons, LB/S, Clemson
5. Miami Dolphins | Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
6. Los Angeles Chargers | Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
7. Carolina Panthers | Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn
8. Arizona Cardinals | Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa
9. Jacksonville Jaguars | Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina
10. Cleveland Browns | Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama
11. New York Jets | CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
12. Las Vegas Raiders | Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
13. Indianapolis Colts | A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jordan Love, QB, Utah
15. Denver Broncos | Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
16. Atlanta Falcons | K'Lavon Chaisson, Edge, Louisiana State
17. Dallas Cowboys | Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
18. Miami Dolphins (from Pittsburgh) | Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Chicago) | Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams) | Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
21. Philadelphia Eagles | Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama
22. Buffalo Bills | Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State
23. New England Patriots | Josh Jones, OT, Houston
24. New Orleans Saints | Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
25. Minnesota Vikings | C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
26. Miami Dolphins (from Houston) | Austin Jackson, OL, Southern California
27. Seattle Seahawks | Grant Delpit, S, Louisiana State
28. Baltimore Ravens | Kristian Fulton, CB, Louisiana State
29. Tennessee Titans | A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
30. Green Bay Packers | Jalen Reagor, WR, Texas Christian
31. San Francisco 49ers | Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
32. Kansas City Chiefs | Terrell Lewis, Edge, Alabama
