Jaguars mock draft: Offensive line leads the way in Times-Union three-round predictions

The 2023 NFL Draft is here and the Jacksonville Jaguars are set to make their first-round selection Thursday.

Jacksonville holds pick No. 24 in the draft after winning the AFC South and advancing to the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs during their 9-8 season under head coach Doug Pederson.

Before the draft gets started, we took one final shot at nailing the first three picks for Jacksonville in this weekend's draft.

Previously, we published two mock drafts, complete with the full seven-round scenario Jacksonville could follow utilizing both opinions and team interests.

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For the purposes of this mock, we narrowed the focus to only the team's first three selections based primarily on team interest up to this point. All three players are potential picks for Jacksonville among their 127-player big board that general manager Trent Baalke alluded to last week.

Note: We did not use a mock-draft simulator for this draft. The players presented are slotted in accordance to pre-draft projections and needs for Jacksonville.

Let's get to it.

1st round (24th overall): O'Cyrus Torrence, Guard, Florida

We picked Torrence with our previous mock draft and are sticking to that pick just prior to the draft taking place.

The more time that goes by, the more that Torrence, 6-5, 330 pounds makes a ton of sense for Jacksonville here. The team held a formal interview with the stud offensive lineman at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year and attended many — if not all — of his games at Florida last year.

This selection could have gone a variety of ways based on what we know about the Jaguars’ interests and needs. If safety/nickel back Brian Branch or Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright are available, the team could sprint to put in the card, but we assumed they would be selected prior to this pick, particularly Wright, who is viewed as the top tackle in this year's draft class.

Torrence offers the Jaguars a plug-and-play offensive lineman to play left guard as the team waits to see how 2022 starting guard Ben Bartch recovers from last season’s knee injury.

Jacksonville certainly will look to add more offensive linemen throughout the draft or via undrafted free agency, but Torrence, who surrendered zero sacks throughout his collegiate career, is just the start.

Career stats: Zero sacks, one hit and 24 hurries allowed in four years (Pro Football Focus).

Other players considered: OT Anton Harrison (Oklahoma), OT Broderick Jones (Georgia), CB Deonte Banks (Maryland), TE Michael Mayer (Notre Dame), TE Dalton Kincaid (Utah), edge Nolan Smith (Georgia), CB Kelee Ringo (Georgia), CB Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State).

2nd Round (56th overall): Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State

Emmanuel Forbes could slide due to his smallish frame at 6-0, 166 pounds. If he is available with Jacksonville’s second-round pick at No. 56, the turnover machine out of Mississippi State is the favorite.

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has never picked a player that is as light as Forbes. The lightest player Baalke has selected at defensive back is cornerback Rashard Robinson at 6-1, 171 pounds at the time of his selection in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft — Baalke's last draft class with the San Francisco 49ers.

Forbes was utilized at Mississippi State as a boundary corner and would likely have to play outside in the NFL, too. Jacksonville would still need to address their nickel cornerback position later in the draft or via free agency, but Forbes would be too good to pass on at pick No. 56.

This selection could raise a lot of eyebrows, but with 14 career interceptions for the Bulldogs in three years of playing time, the ball-hawk is tough to pass up on. Forbes could eventually take over at corner opposite Tyson Campbell.

Career stats: 37 games played, 150 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 14 interceptions, 20 pass breakups, six pick-sixes

3rd round (88th overall): Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan

This selection was an obvious one. Schoonmaker, 6-5, 251 pounds, has the making of a do-it-all tight end coming out of Michigan. The Jaguars have a strong need at the position, losing both Chris Manhertz (Denver Broncos) and Dan Arnold (unsigned) via free agency this year.

Only tight end Evan Engram has more than 12 catches on the roster with Luke Farrell and Gerrit Prince as the lone depth players at the position. Schoonmaker had a formal meeting with the Jaguars at the NFL Scouting Combine.

He tallied just 35 catches for 418 yards and three scores in 2022 and will be entering the draft at 24 years old, set to be 25 in September this year. Still, the Jaguars are not concerned about a player’s age, according to Baalke.

Career stats: 23 games played, 54 catches, 637 yards and seven touchdowns.

Outlook

If the Jaguars come out of the draft with these three players, questions will remain regarding the team's lack of depth at pass rusher. Though they likely would address the position with their remaining picks, passing on a potential top-flight edge could come back to haunt them.

Still, the team doesn't have an endless number of high picks and one position group out of their top needs: offensive line, nickel, tight end and edge, will be passed over through three selections.

However, the Jaguars acquired at least three starter-level players that can contribute right away, something they have to do this weekend. The outlook on Forbes will be questioned, however, Jacksonville signed Darious Williams last year to play the slot, and it's likely the team feels he can fill that void still if need be.

If the Jaguars do not acquire a pass rusher with a high draft choice, don't be surprised to see them acquire one in free agency not long after the draft takes place.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars mock draft: Final picks for first three rounds