Mock draft 1.0: A first – too-early – guess

Feb 03, 2022 at 08:04 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – This is a guess, only a guess.

That's true of any mock draft, and particularly true when projecting what the Jaguars might do with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.

So, consider this (way-too-early) first jaguars.com 2022 mock draft a semi-educated guess at one option when the Jaguars are on the clock on April 28. And remember: Nearly three months from the draft, there's nothing close to consensus for the No. 1 selection.

That will give the coming months a different feel than last offseason, when the pre-draft consensus was that the Jaguars would do what they indeed did with the No. 1 overall selection – which was to draft quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

This year's pre-draft analysis is more varied, with most analysts believing the selection likely to be either an offensive or defensive lineman. With no quarterback considered likely to be worthy of the No. 1 selection, few analysts believe the Jaguars will trade the selection.

So, who could the Jaguars select?

At this early stage, most speculation centers around offensive tackle Evan Neal of Alabama, and edge defenders Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan and Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon. North Carolina State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu and Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross also have been projected to the Jaguars at No. 1.

For the sake of this mock, we'll go offensive tackle with the idea of adding an elite player to an offensive line that could undergo moderate-to-significant change this offseason. So, we'll go with Neal from Alabama at No. 1 overall.

Neal (6-feet-7, 350 pounds), who played at Okeechobee (Fla.) High School before transferring to IMG Academy, was a consensus All-America and first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection this past season. He started 13 games at left guard as a freshman in 2019, 12 games at right tackle in 2020 and 15 games at left tackle as a junior this past season.

With the No. 33 overall selection overall, the first selection of Round 2, we circled back to wide receiver and selected for the Jaguars John Metchie III – also of Alabama.

Metchie (6-0, 195) caught 96 passes for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns this past season. He had 155 career receptions in three collegiate seasons for 2,081 yards and 14 touchdowns.

And, as always, remember:

This is guess, only a guess.

Here's a look at the first jaguars.com 2022 mock draft: