The 2022 NFL Draft begins on April 28, which means that The Game Haus will be debuting draft profiles for every team. Each NFL team will be evaluated heading into this year’s draft, as our staff recaps their last season, highlights their needs and pinpoints their potential 2022 NFL Draft targets. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the subject of today’s 2022 NFL Draft profile.
Summary
The Jaguars went through a tumultuous 2021 season, although hopes were high as they entered the first weeks of play.
Urban Meyer, three-time national championship-winning head coach, was hired by the Jaguars ahead of the season. They also got an incredibly highly-touted quarterback in Trevor Lawrence with the first overall selection in the draft. Despite these supposed boons to the organization, Jacksonville ended the season 3-14.
Meyer has been labeled among the biggest (if not the biggest) flops in NFL coaching history. His tenure was riddled with scandal, seemingly from day one. More information about just how bad things were continues to come out as players and coaches alike have accused him of physical abuse and verbal threats. He was fired after just 13 games.
Jacksonville now has Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson at the helm. He should be able to get the most out of Lawrence, as he was also a quarterback in the NFL. They have managed to make a few moves in the offseason, but still need to plug some holes via the 2022 NFL Draft.
2022 NFL Picks
Jacksonville will have four picks to use in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft.
First Round (one pick): No. 1
Second Round (one pick): No. 33
Third Round (two picks): Nos. 65, 70
Team needs
Offensive tackle- A good team starts with protecting the quarterback at all costs. Jacksonville may invest heavily in the offensive line in 2022.
Edge rusher- K’Lavon Chaisson has been all but a bust, so the Jags need to find an edge player that can get to the quarterback in this draft.
Wide receiver- Christian Kirk and Zay Jones are good starts, but they need some young talent that can maybe rise to the level of a WR1, like Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase have.
2022 Draft Targets
First Round:
Pick No. 1: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
There are two fantastic defensive ends at the top of this draft in Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux, and it may be incredibly difficult to pass them up when an edge player is exactly what this team needs. If they pick either one, it would not be a mistake by any means.
But as stated earlier, one of the biggest keys to good quarterback play is a good offensive line. This team needs to continue to rebuild this offensive line to keep Lawrence upright. Enter Evan Neal, a formidable force at the tackle position. The 6-foot-7 Consesus All-American and CFP National Champion actually has experience at guard, but played right tackle for Alabama.
This is not a sexy pick by any stretch, but it is safe. And after the season that the Jaguars just had, maybe safe is the way to go to get this team started.
Second Round:
Pick No. 33: Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
Mafe may not stick around until the top of the second round, but if there is a run on another position, such as wide receiver, then he definitely could fall to the Jaguars at 33.
In 2021, he recorded seven sacks, one forced fumble and 34 combined tackles. He may have bested those numbers in 2020, if the season was not shortened due to COVID-19. Mafe is a seasoned pass rusher who could make an immediate impact on this Jacksonville team. He may also be a huge value pick if he falls to 33.
Third Round:
Pick No. 65: David Bell, WR, Purdue
David Bell was a huge volume wide receiver in 2021 at Purdue. He had 93 receptions for 1,286 and six touchdowns. During his freshman season, he had 86 catches for over 1,000 yards, also, plus one more touchdown than in 2021.
Lawrence needs a receiver with whom he can grow. Taking Bell to be that guy at the top of the third round could end up being a total steal.
Pick No. 70: Sean Rhyan, OT, UCLA
As stated before, expect the Jaguars to hit the offensive line hard in this draft.
Sean Rhyan is a tackle out of UCLA that can either back up or be paired with Neal, who TGH has as their pick for first overall. He has played at UCLA since 2019 and earned First Team All-Pac 12 honors during the 2021 season. Given the depth of this class, Jacksonville could also go after another wide receiver with this pick, but the value for their pick that they get from Rhyan here is maybe better.
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