In just over 24 hours, the 2024 NFL Draft will be here. That means it's going to be a busy few days for General Manager Trent Baalke and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have several improvements that need to be made to their roster.
Several events have shaped or revealed the Jags' potential plans with the most recent being the organization's annual Draft Luncheon. With this intel, we decided to take one last swing at guessing what the team could do. However, unlike our previous mock drafts, we decided to do a full mock with a pick in all seven rounds.
Here is the haul we came away with after firing up Pro Football Focus' mock draft simulator earlier this week:
17. Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Dating to his press conference at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Baalke has expressed that the Jags need help at the cornerback position. While the team did add a solid player in Ronald Darby to help them there via free agency, many media members came out of the Jags’ annual Draft Luncheon believing the Jags want to land a corner in Round 1.
In this mock draft simulation, Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell went off the board just before the Jags' selection. That left arguably the draft’s top corner, Terrion Arnold, available when the Jags took the podium. This was all possible due to a wave of quarterbacks, edge rushers, and offensive tackles being selected in the top half of the draft.
As for Arnold, he’s not only what the Jags believe they need, but is the type of player they want. His tape highlights the kind of athletic ability Baalke likes to target and the type of man-to-man skills that defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen utilized in Atlanta. It’s a bonus that he’s taken 2016 snaps in the slot over the past two seasons, too. While receiver is seen as a bigger need by some, getting the best cornerback in the draft certainly isn’t a bad way to address an area that’s a top-2 need for the team.
The Jags may need to trade up a few spots to land Arnold, but even if that’s the case, they seem more than fine with doing it.
48. Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
If cornerback is addressed first by the Jags on Thursday, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the front office address the wide receiver position in Round 2. When the Jags were due to pick in this simulation, Ricky Pearsall, one of the draft’s biggest risers, was available.
The Jags have likely seen more than enough tape on the athletic Florida Gator receiver as Jacksonville is right up the road. After the loss of Calvin Ridley, they need a receiver who can separate out of cuts like the veteran did, which is a specialty of Pearsall. Their route-running skills aren’t the only thing the two players share as their measurables are also similar, too.
87. Austin Booker, EDGE, Kansas (Trade with Dallas Cowboys)
The Jags' need for a rotational edge rusher isn’t as dire as their needs for a receiver and cornerback are, but it’s up there. In the third round, there was an opportunity to trade up and select the perfect prospect to replace K’Lavon Chaisson in Austin Booker.
At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Booker is a raw prospect who could be groomed by Josh Allen and Travon Walker for the next few years. While he has a limited body of work (505 snaps), Booker also has traits that could appeal to Baalke, like his arm length (33 7/8) and range of pass-rush moves.
114. DeWayne Carter, DL, Duke
While the Jags did add veteran Arik Armstead, a team can never make too many additions to their defensive line. This is what the Jags did in 2017, which resulted in the franchise building the best defense in its history.
Enter Carter, an addition who not only provides depth to the lineup but adds versatility as well. Carter took 422 snaps in the B-gap in 2023 and also took over 100 outside the tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. This is a move that also makes sense to get a successor for Armstead in place, who is over 30 years old.
134. Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan (Traded back with New York Jets)
There weren’t any standout prospects available atop the board during pick No. 116, but the New York Jets thought differently. I was able to strike a deal with them to trade back to pick No. 134 where Michigan guard Zak Zinter was available.
This selection made sense for many reasons with the biggest being the need to find a successor for Brandon Scherff.
Another reason is that the Jags now have Michigan’s former Director of Player Personnel, Tom Gamble, on their scouting staff. Lastly, Baalke likes to swing on players coming off significant injuries and that’s the case for Zinter, who broke his tibia and fibula last November.
185. Javon Foster, OT, Missouri (Acquired via trade with New York Jets)
The future for all notable offensive tackles on the Jags’ roster aside from Anton Harrison feels uncertain. That's why fans should expect them to draft a tackle at some point.
At 6-foot-5, 313 pounds, Javon Foster has the length and size that could appeal to the Jags front office. His arm length (34 5/8”) was a big part of his game and the competition level he endured at Missouri makes him one of the more enticing late-round prospects of 2024.
212. Elijah Jones, CB, Boston College
This selection was simply a case of going with the best available player on the board. In this case, it was the lanky 6-foot-2, Elijah Jones, who had a 90.8 man coverage grade in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. That statistic may catch the eyes of new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who used a lot of man coverage in Atlanta.
236. Kendall Milton, RB, Georgia
Trent Baalke has drafted a running back in every draft he’s been a general manager. That said, it’s only right to end the mock draft with a powerful north-to-south runner who led the Georgia Bulldogs with 14 rushing touchdowns.