10 IN 10: JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
By Tom Scott
There are now nine days left until the NFL Draft. The ‘10 in 10’ series looks at each team picking in the top ten, having started with the Cleveland Browns yesterday and finishing with the Cincinnati Bengals next Thursday. For a more considered, in-depth look at the perfect picks for each team check out the good work of my fellow contributors at The Touchdown here:
For the purposes of simplicity, no trades will be considered in this countdown unless they occur in the days leading up to the draft itself. Each article will look at individual team needs before deciding on the right pick for each franchise, whilst also considering some alternatives at that spot. Let’s see which prospect the Jacksonville Jaguars will be taking at #9:
#9: JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Jacksonville have a variety of holes on their roster to fill. They need reinforcement at cornerback since the Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye trades, support on the defensive front, and some would argue a quarterback. Personally, I think the Jaguars saw enough potential in Gardner Minshew in 2019 to give him time to progress in the league. Jacksonville enjoy two first round picks this year, and I think that there will be good value to address their need in the secondary at pick #20.
'THE BACKFIELD TORPEDO'
Therefore, with the ninth pick in the draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars should be in a good position to select K’Lavon Chaisson, edge rusher out of LSU. Jacksonville’s front has been weakened by the departure of Calais Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens, and Chaisson can help transform the Jags’ defense. Coupled with Josh Allen, the Jaguars could have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL next year.
Chaisson enters the league aged just 20, and he has room to grow and flourish in Duval County. He’s an agile, powerful runner that can find the smallest gaps in opposing offensive lines. The Jaguars could well see the return of the sort of defense that was the envy of the league in 2017, with the opportunity to trade Yannick Ngakoue for sizeable draft capital in the process.
MULTIPLE PICKS, MULTIPLE OPTIONS
With so many needs, Jacksonville fans may bemoan taking an outside linebacker with back-to-back first round picks. Derrick Brown, defensive tackle out of Auburn, could be the pick here, but with his draft stock falling he could well slide out of the top ten.
If they love one of the top receivers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one taken here – DJ Chark and Minshew have good chemistry, and if they’re sold on their QB1 they could give him a true WR1 to work with.
CJ Henderson, cornerback from Florida, could be an option but the Jags would be reaching to take him this early. They would be better off waiting until their second pick on day one before they address that need with a Kristian Fulton or Jeff Gladney.
With the right selections on the defensive side of the ball, could we see the rebirth of Sacksonville 2.0 in 2020?
TOM SCOTT
nfl analyst
TOM WATCHED HIS FIRST EVER NFL GAME AT AN EX’S HOME IN NORTH CAROLINA IN 2013 AND “ENCOURAGED” TO SUPPORT THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS. ONE BREAK-UP AND FOUR YEARS LATER, HE SWITCHED ALLEGIANCE TO THE JETS AND HAS BEEN OBSESSED WITH THE GAME EVER SINCE. TOM CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER AT @DOWNTHEMANNYRD