Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025 NFL Draft: 3-round mock sees team make provocative decision

AI-assisted summary
• The Jacksonville Jaguars focused on adding depth and starting-caliber players during free agency.
• The Jaguars' general manager prefers to draft rookies rather than sign veterans to provide opportunities for young players.
• The Jaguars aim to build a strong offensive core around quarterback Trevor Lawrence by adding playmakers in the draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have completed their major free-agency investment moves, which general manager James Gladstone said raised the team's floor when he spoke after the new league year a couple of weeks ago.

The process gave Jacksonville a few plug-and-play players who will start this season. They include right guard Patrick Mekari, center Robert Hainsey, safety Eric Murray and nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis.

The team added depth at tight end, signing Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt to supplement the room. The team also added receiver Dyami Brown and two offensive linemen — Chuma Edoga and Fred Johnson. To operate as starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence's backup, the Jaguars signed former Vikings QB Nick Mullens.

Though the team's free agency plan was vast, it did not capture many "splash" players, often a signal of a team looking to fill all holes and build depth through the draft. For Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, he wants rookies to be on the field and doesn't want veterans taking those opportunities away.

This was made clear when Gladstone was asked about the team failing to add an edge rusher or defensive lineman in free agency.

"We’ve got 10 picks in this year's draft. We're going to have to have some spots that are actually open for them to insert. So, if you add a veteran at this point, could be just standing in the way. We're going to allow these rookies to get a chance to get out on the field and help us this coming fall," Gladstone said.

Given that, where can the Jaguars add immediate help in the first three rounds of next month's draft?

What picks do the Jaguars have in the 2025 NFL Draft?

The Jaguars hold 10 picks in this year's draft. Here are their current positions:

• Round 1: (No. 5)
• Round 2: (No. 36)
• Round 3: (Nos. 70, 88)
• Round 4: (Nos. 105, 124)
• Round 5: (No. 141)
• Round 6: (Nos. 180, 192)
• Round 7: (No. 221)

Jaguars three-round mock draft: 2025 NFL Draft gives team instant star power

The Jaguars are in a position to select a top-tier talent in a draft widely thought to be top-heavy with staggering levels of depth across the board.

In Jacksonville's case, they're likely to land one of the few true consensus blue-chip players who have the potential to become stars throughout their NFL career.

For this mock, we assumed running back Travis Etienne would be traded in a draft-day trade or earlier to a running back-needy team. The Dallas Cowboys fit the bill as a team not willing to draft a back high (Ezekiel Elliott, 2016 notwithstanding).

Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal, set to play on the fifth-year option for a fully guaranteed $6,143,000 in base salary.

If they can find a trade partner, the Jaguars could save money and invest it into next year's salary cap through rollover procedures.

Though he's shown the ability to run the football effectively, Etienne has had an up-and-down career in Jacksonville. Since being drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Etienne has totaled 2,691 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns through 49 regular-season games played. He's caught 132 passes for 1,046 yards and a TD.

A change of scenery might be best for both Etienne and the franchise after he split carries heavily with Tank Bigsby last year. Etienne totaled just 150 carries for 558 yards and two touchdowns on the ground through 15 games last season.

Note: This mock was done with Pro Football Focus' mock draft simulator. The first four picks were as follows:

• Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter, Tennessee Titans
• Miami QB Cam Ward, Cleveland Browns
• Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter, New York Giants
• Michigan DL Mason Graham, New England Patriots

Round 1, Pick 5: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

Enter the top offensive talent in this year's draft: Boise State running back Ahston Jeanty.

Jeanty, 5-foot-8, 211 pounds, is not the tallest back, but he's also not "small" by any means. He packs a punch, similar to former Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew and is the consensus top running back in this year's draft, likely the top running back to enter the draft in years.

Jeanty, born in Jacksonville, Florida, played high school football in Virginia before enrolling at Boise State in 2022. After splitting time during his freshman season, totalling 821 rushing yards, Jeanty's production exploded over the next two seasons.

In 2023, the blue-chip back totaled 1,347 yards on 220 carries (6.1 yards per carry) and 14 touchdowns. He added 43 catches for 569 yards and five touchdowns through the air. Though his receiving numbers went down this past season, Jeanty's rushing numbers more than made up for it.

In 2024, he totaled an NCAA-high 2,601 rushing yards on 374 carries (7.0 yards per carry) and 29 rushing touchdowns. He caught just 23 passes for 138 yards and a TD.

Jeanty won multiple awards in 2024, including the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and was named a Unanimous All-American.

Jeanty would fit perfectly in head coach Liam Coen's system and give Lawrence a safety valve, establishing a ground attack immediately. Even with a rebuilding offensive line, Jeanty should flourish. It would give Jacksonville a star at — what they hope — is all three major skill-player groups, including quarterback (Lawrence), receiver (Brian Thomas Jr.) and running back (Jeanty).

He is alone as the best player in terms of missed tackles forced per carry, at just around .4, and has the highest yards after contact per carry by far at over 5.0. The next-highest is Miami RB Danien Martinez at just below 4.5, according to PFF.

Round 2, Pick 36: Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss

This will probably be my most-used selection of this year's draft cycle.

There's plenty to like about Ole Miss CB Trey Amos, and selecting him here in the second round would give Jacksonville's defense an ideal situation in the secondary for years to come.

Amos measured in at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds at the Combine and posted a 4.43s 40-yard dash, 32.5-inch vertical and a 10-feet-six-inch broad jump. He put up 13 reps on the bench press.

He transferred twice in his five-year college career, spending three years with Louisiana, a year at Alabama and last season at Ole Miss.

In all, Amos played 61 games, accounting for 121 total tackles (39 solos), 31 pass breakups, four interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Round 3, Pick 70: Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan

As Gladstone said, investing in the team's defensive line is likely to come via the Draft, and I'd be surprised if they didn't try to do that by pick 70.

Michigan edge rusher Josiah Stewart fits the bill here and could operate as the team's third pass rusher moving forward. Gladstone could want to pair Stewart with his teammate, defensive tackle Mason Graham, by taking the latter at pick No. 5, but he ought to be a target regardless.

Stewart graded out as the best pass rusher among this year's class with a pass rush win rate last year, according to PFF, of 27%. He finished the year with nine sacks at Michigan.

Stewart's pass-rush grade, according to PFF, landed at 92.3 for the season. He totaled 37 pressures in 2024.

With Armstead moving inside on a full-time basis, it makes sense for Jacksonville to target an edge rusher early in this year's draft if one presents itself.

Round 3, Pick 88: Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State

The Jaguars will have to address their wide receiver room at some point. I don't think they'll want to go with Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan with the fifth-overall pick (I also wouldn't be surprised if this happens), but that doesn't mean they won't try to get in on the receiver market early.

After offloading both Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, the Jaguars need pass catchers for Lawrence.

Horton, 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, is a bigger-bodied receiver with plenty of athleticism. He ran a 4.41s 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and jumped 37.5 inches in the vertical jump.

After playing at Nevada for two years, Horton transferred to Colorado State in 2022, where he made an instant impact. Horton caught 71 passes for 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 before returning for 96 catches, 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023.

Due to a knee injury, Horton was forced to have season-ending surgery after six games into last season. He caught just 26 passes for 353 yards and a TD.

The Jaguars brought in Brown to help their pass-catching unit, but they'll need to add at least one, perhaps two, receivers in this year's draft, too.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.

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