The Jacksonville Jaguars still have a lot left to play for during the 2022 season. With four weeks to go, the Jaguars are just two games behind the first-place Tennessee Titans in the AFC South, meaning it is not quite draft season yet.
But that doesn’t stop the rest of the draft world from turning. And with January on the horizon, 2023 NFL Draft projections are set to start flying out over the next several weeks.
With the 5-8 Jaguars currently projected to pick outside the top-10, there are a few interesting directions the team could potentially go in when it comes to April’s draft. They could continue to add to Trevor Lawrence’s weapons, build up the offensive or defensive line, or find a cornerback to play across from Tyson Campbell for the long-term future.
Which of these options did ESPN’s Todd McShay go with in his first official mock draft of the season? Following the trend of most other national mock drafts at this point, McShay chose to give the Jaguars another weapon in the form of TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston at No. 13 overall.
“The Jaguars spent on Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Zay Jones, and all three pass-catchers have played well this season. Plus, Calvin Ridley should be in the mix next season after Jacksonville acquired the suspended wideout at the deadline. But Trevor Lawrence still needs a big receiver,” McShay wrote.
“He excelled with Tee Higgins and Justin Ross in college, and Johnston fits that same mold at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. With 903 receiving yards through 12 games, Johnston has a wide catch radius, strength after the catch and good vertical speed. I love this fit.”
We have written extensively in the past that Lawrence thrives with big-bodied receivers, dating back to his Clemson days. Count his success with Laquon Treadwell and Evan Engram over the last two seasons, and it makes sense to consider giving Lawrence a big target to fit in with what is a relatively small receiver room.
The Jaguars have drafted four wide receivers in the first round in franchise history: R. Jay Soward at No. 29 in 2000, Reggie Williams at No. 9 in 2004, Matt Jones at No. 21 in 2005, and Justin Blackmon at No. 5 in 2012.
Johnston would make the Jaguars a big-play threat on the outside to join Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones next year. Christian Kirk can be expected to continue to be their primary slot receiver, while Marvin Jones Jr. is set to be a free agent in March.
Johnston was just the third skill player off the board in McShay’s mock, following running back Bijan Robinson at No. 5 to the Eagles and Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer at No. 12 to the Houston Texans. The three players selected after Johnston in this mock were offensive tackle Broderick Jones, edge rusher Myles Murphy and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
The other receivers taken in round one in the mock included Jordan Addison at No. 20 to the New York Giants, Jaxon Smith-Njigba to the Tennessee Titans at No. 22 overall, and Zay Flowers to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 27 overall.
Johnston appears to be the chalk pick for the Jaguars at this point of the season. According to internal data from Pro Football Network on their Mock Draft Simulator, Johnston heads to the Jaguars with 19.3% of users’ first-round picks, edging out Georgia CB Kelee Ringo for the most-drafted player.
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