The Jaguars are going to have tons of picks in the NFL Draft
By John Buhler
The Jacksonville Jaguars already have nine picks in the 2020 Draft. That number will only increase if they end up trading defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team to watch in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jacksonville went 6-10 last season and has the No. 9 overall pick in the upcoming draft. The Jaguars also have the Los Angeles Rams’ first-round pick this year at No. 20, stemming from the Jalen Ramsey trade shortly before the deadline last year. Jacksonville has nine picks in the upcoming draft, but could have even more if they make one more blockbuster trade.
On Monday morning, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue went to Twitter to say he has no interest returning to the Jaguars organization on a long-term deal. ESPN’s Adam Schefter would tweet out minutes later Jacksonville plans to use the franchise tag on Ngakoue, possibly looking to move him this offseason via trade.
If Jacksonville does end up moving off Ngakoue, he should command at least a 2020 first-round pick and a day-two selection. So yes, the Jaguars have tremendous trade value by shopping their Pro Bowl pass rusher.
If Jacksonville does yield a similar return to what the Seattle Seahawks received for defensive end Frank Clark last year from the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jaguars may have upwards of 11 picks in the draft, including three first-round picks. If they were to find a buyer for the albatross of a contract Nick Foles is on, Jacksonville could have more than a dozen selections this spring.
Should the Jaguars trade Ngakoue, look for them to use one of their three theoretical first-round picks on a premium pass rusher. Jacksonville general manager David Caldwell will have plenty of ammunition to move up and down the draft board as he so chooses.
Interestingly enough, it doesn’t seem Jacksonville will be in the market to draft a franchise quarterback this year, as it prefers to go with Gardner Minshew for at least another season. He won all six of Jacksonville’s games last year filling in for an injured and later ineffective Foles.
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Ultimately, Jacksonville will have to accept 2020 as a rebuilding year. The Jaguars will have parted ways with two of their best defensive players in Ramsey and Ngakoue, quite possibly doing the same with a former Super Bowl MVP quarterback in Foles.
The Jaguars could be a terrible team this fall, but they will ample draft capital to jumpstart the turnaround.