Jacksonville Jaguars 2023 Mock Draft: Taking the next step
The Jacksonville Jaguars made quite the jump from 2022 to 2023, and what might be the craziest thing about it is that their roster could use more talent. On paper, the Jaguars don’t have a crazy good roster, as their 2022 breakout season was mostly due to coaching.
Just imagine this roster with an influx of talent? They now have a clear path forward as Trevor Lawrence looks to perhaps flirt with an MVP award in 2023 and have a wide open AFC South to compete in.
The Jags have most of their roster needs on the defensive side of the ball, and I think that’s likely where they focus their attention in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Jacksonville Jaguars 2023 Mock Draft: Taking the next step
24th overall: Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
After releasing Shaq Griffin, the Jaguars could use a younger starting cornerback. Darious Williams, one of their free agent cornerback additions from last year, is 30 years old and did not notch an interception last year.
Pairing Ringo with Tyson Campbell and still keeping Williams in the mix is a huge boost to their secondary.
56th overall: John Michael Schmitz, OC, Minnesota
Beefing up the offensive line should be a priority for the Jaguars in 2023. Outside of Brandon Scherff, I think Jacksonville could upgrade at every other position. Schmitz is a day one starter at the center position, supplanting Luke Fortner.
88th overall: Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
On offense, the Jaguars could benefit from adding a tight end to a room that features Evan Engram and Luke Farrell. Yeah, outside of Engram, the room needs a boost. Iowa is tight end university, and LaPorta is just another product of that tight end factory.
121st overall: Jaquelin Roy, DT, LSU
Continuing with the defense, the Jaguars draft Jaquelin Roy from LSU. One thing that I think will be certain in 2023 is the Jaguars rolling out a top 10 offense, at least. Trevor Lawrence is going to take a huge jump in year two in Doug Pederson’s system. Just look at how much Carson Wentz improved from year one to year two.
The defensive improvement might be a bit harder to come by as the Jags’ defense doesn’t have their version of Trevor Lawrence, so Roy is the pick here.
127th overall: DJ Johnson, EDGE, Oregon
185th overall: Nathaniel Dell, WR, Houston
202nd overall: Dante Stills, DT, West Virginia
208th overall: Ja’von Hicks, S, Cincinnati
226th overall: Cam Jones, LB, Indiana
The rest of the Jags’ picks are essentially just taking the best player available, no matter the position. They heavily pick defense with their final picks, as their only offensive selection is Nathaniel Dell, a wide receiver from Houston.