2024 NFL Draft scenarios: How the Jaguars can rework their defensive end room
That collective sigh of relief heard on April 10 emanating from the Jaguars Miller Electric Center was for good reason: edge rusher Josh Allen got his second contract.
Allen, who set the franchise record with 17.5 sacks last season, is 10 away from Tony Brackens’ career record. He’s now set for the next five years in Jacksonville and with progress made on the other side by third-year pro Travon Walker (10 sacks, double his total from his rookie season in 2022), the Jaguars have their bookends set for at least two more seasons, depending on Walker’s second contract.
Allen tied Trey Hendrickson of Cincinnati for second in the NFL in sacks. He and Walker led the NFL for the most productive one-two punch with 27.5 between them.
So why would the Jaguars consider an edge rusher with the 17th overall pick in the draft?
For one thing, can an NFL team ever have too many pass rushers? And should a player such as Alabama’s Dallas Turner (6 feet 2, 247 pounds) or Florida State’s Jared Verse (6-3, 253) fall to the Jaguars, the temptation might be too much for general manager Trent Baalke.
While Allen and Walker stood out last season, the Jaguars were still 25th in the NFL with 40 sacks.
It’s true the Jaguars have more of a need on defense at cornerback. But improving the pass rush and sending opposing quarterbacks running for their lives can result in very wobbly passes that even marginal NFL defensive backs can easily pluck out of the air.
Plus, the depth behind Allen and Walker is questionable. The Jaguars have moved on from 2020 first-round draft pick K’Lavon Chaisson and 2023 draftee Yasir Abdullah remain a work in progress.
Does the switch to more of a 4-3 look under new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen change things? Will Walker be used more inside? Will veteran Roy Roberson-Harris be unleashed more as a rusher? Perhaps Tyler Lacy, another 2023 draftee who played sparingly, can move outside on occasion.
All good questions.
2024 NFL Draft Scenario No. 1: Jaguars jump on Turner or Verse
Both players are projected to be picked at the back end of the top 10. But it’s draft day. Funny things happen. So far, there’s reason for Turner or Verse to fall but it would only take a drop of eight spots or so to find the Jaguars faced with the possibility. And can you picture the motors of Allen, Walker and Turner/Verse unleased in a rotation that could include Robertson-Harris?
2024 NFL Draft Scenario No. 2: Jaguars trade the pick
If a player such as Turner or Verse are available when it’s the Jaguars' turn, it’s possible that Baalke will choose to trade down for more picks later in the draft. Three teams in particular who draft behind the Jags might be hungry for a pass rusher: the Los Angeles Rams, who were 24th in the NFL in sacks and said goodbye to retired star Aaron Donald, the Minnesota Vikings, who lost Danielle Hunter (fifth in the NFL in sacks last year) to free agency or Arizona, which was 30th in the NFL in sacks.
Minnesota and Arizona have two picks in the first round and their first picks are well ahead of the Jaguars. But most mock drafts have the Vikings going quarterback and the Cardinals wide receiver with their first selections.
2024 NFL Draft Scenario No. 3: Jags address edge on second or third day
If the Jaguars go cornerback or wide receiver in the first round, as expected, there should be a quality pass rusher available in the second or third round. The player mocked to the Jaguars more often has been Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland (6-3, 267) but players who are borderline first-round to second-round projections include Laiatu Latu of UCLA (6-4, 259), who has an assortment of pass-rush moves, and Chop Robinson of Penn State (6-2, 254).
Other possibilities are Darius Robinson of Missouri (6-5, 285), Adisa Isaac of Penn State (6-4, 247) and Chris Braswell of Alabama (6-3, 251).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars 2024 NFL Draft: 3 scenarios to fix defensive end room
