Jacksonville Jaguars 7-round mock draft: 3 ways Doug Pederson could go about business in 2024 NFL Draft
Doug Pederson has delivered a lot of positivity to the Jacksonville Jaguars after allowing them to move on from the abysmal Urban Meyer-era.
However, last season was a bit of a damp squib after they failed to make the playoffs despite going into the final week in the pole position. That marked a comedown from his first year in charge when they were in the mix in the postseason and won the Wild Card round against the LA Chargers with a thrilling comeback.
The loss of Calvin Ridley in free agency means that another wide receiver for Trevor Lawrence is a necessity in the 2024 NFL Draft. But that does not mean that they can ignore their defensive needs.
Last season, they were in the middle of the pack when it came to offensive output, but the 342.8 yards allowed per game on defense was towards the lower end. Doug Pederson will have to juggle such requirements to the best of his ability.
If he's smart, the Jaguars coach will take a look at our Sportskeeda's Mock Draft Simulator and figure out the various options he has. For his ease, we have explained them below.
Jaguars 7-round mock draft 1.0: Playing it safe
Doug Pederson must begin with what he has. Assuming some trades to come through and not getting them can wreak havoc with his plans. The Jaguars coach must align his first strategy with what he has.
In the first round, he must address his wide receiver need. In this mock draft, he ends up taking Adonai Mitchell out of Texas. In the second round, he chooses to look into plugging their defensive vulnerabilities by drafting cornerback Javon Bullard out of Georgia.
With his next picks, he adds to the pass rush before getting more help for Trevor Lawrence as he selects another wide receiver. The final players drafted address depth concerns on both offense and defense.
Jaguars 7-round mock draft 2.0: Trade and get some more
Things get a bit more exciting for Doug Pederson as he takes in all the trades that come his way to increase his haul in the 2024 NFL Draft. Knowing that it's a deep wide receiver class and getting multiple picks in the second round, he can take a different tack here.
In this scenario, the Jaguars address their defensive needs first by drafting defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton out of Illinois. Next up, Doug Pederson can address the secondary by drafting corner T.J. Tampa. He drafts for the offense in consecutive picks with guard Zak Zinter and wide receiver Xavier Legette.
The multiple picks available after that can go towards a variety of positions including linebackers, running backs, offensive linemen, corners and wide receivers and also a backup quarterback.
Jaguars 7-round mock draft 1.0: Roll the dice like Doug Pederson
If Doug Pederson is known for anything, it's for making bold decisions. He can choose to trade in a way that adds picks both for this year and next year's draft. In this scenario, he has done just that.
By adding picks, he can again go for a cornerback first, which is Ennis Rakestraw Jr. out of Missouri in this case. He can wait until the second round to draft a wide receiver with Jalen McMillan out of Washington a good option. But with 13 picks in this draft, the Jaguars coach can play now.
In the next four picks, he can get a linebacker, cornerback, running back and wide receiver. He can keep adding depth to those positions in later rounds and even add Michael Pratt out of Tulane as a backup quarterback.