2020 NFL mock draft: Tua Tagovailoa lands with Chargers
By Brad Weiss
. Edge. Jacksonville Jaguars. A.J. Epenesa. 7. player. 52
What an absolute nightmare of a season it has been for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who spent big money on a franchise quarterback to get them over the hump in 2019. Nick Foles has gone from being hurt, to returning, and now being sent back to the bench, as Gardner Minshew has taken over as the franchise quarterback for the Jaguars.
The issues for the Jaguars extend to both sides of the football, and during the 2019 season, they have also said goodbye to one of their better players. The Jaguars traded away Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams, leaving a gaping hole in their secondary, but they did net a second first round pick in 2020 in the process.
With their first of two first round picks, the Jaguars should look to get better along the defensive line, bringing in a talented edge rusher like A.J. Epenesa from Iowa. With Calais Campbell already on the defensive line, adding a talent like Epenesa would give the Jags two elite edge rushers in a very tough AFC South division, where getting after the quarterback is paramount.
Derrick Brown. 8. player. 44. . Defensive Tackle. Atlanta Falcons
One of the bigger disappointment in the NFC this season has been the Atlanta Falcons, who certainly have enough talent to win, but haven’t played consistent football all year long. The Falcons have looked good on occasion, thanks to the play of quarterback Matt Ryan, but they are going to need wholesale changes on their defense in 2020 and beyond.
On The defense of side of the ball, the Falcons should look to address the issues on the interior of their defensive line. One player that would be a nice addition to the defensive line is Derrick Brown from Auburn, and it would be a perfect pairing with the likes of Grady Jarret. Brown is the best defensive tackle in this draft class, and is one of the overall more NFL-ready players.
The bottom line is, the Falcons have the talent on both sides of the ball to win games at the NFL level, and it will be interesting to see if they can get back on the right track in 2020. This is a franchise that was in the Super Bowl not too long ago, and there could be changes in both personnel and the coaching staff moving forward.