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With draft week here, ESPN analyst Jordan Reid put together his final mock draft of the 2025 cycle, and it is a seven-rounder. So, who did the Jacksonville Jaguars come away with?
Let's break it all down with our instant reactions and takeaways from each Jaguars' pick.
This pick makes plenty of sense for the Jaguars, which is why it is so popular. The Jaguars need a much stronger interior presence, and Graham is widely considered the top defensive tackle prospect in this year's class.
However, while this is a popular selection in mocks, as Adam Schefter would report, the Jaguars are considered a "wild card" by many with this fifth pick. They have a number of different directions they could go.
"Graham is a heavy-handed, disruptive presence in the middle. With 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 26 pressures last season, he was a consistent nuisance for opposing offenses," wrote Reid. "New general manager James Gladstone comes from a Rams organization that drafts prospects who are immediately ready to play, and that's Graham. Adding him to a roster with Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker and Arik Armstead would potentially give the Jaguars a top-level defensive line."
Egbuka comes to the NFL as a very polished player who is ready to make a quick impact. Most of his snaps at Ohio State came from the slot, but he has the size and ball skills to line up on the boundary as well.
Egbuka could be the No. 2 option in the Jaguars' offense right away. In addition to that, he seems to fit the 'intangibly rich' mold that GM James Gladstone is looking for as well.
"Egbuka would be an excellent complementary option to Brian Thomas Jr. in Liam Coen's offense," Reid wrote. "He had 81 catches for 1,011 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season and is a nuanced and detailed route runner. Egbuka is a ready-made target who can step in and play right away."
Adding Jourdan Lewis provided stability at cornerback, but that position remains a need. At a minimum, Williams provides needed depth on the boundary and could potentially compete with Jarrian Jones for playing time.
"The Jaguars added Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray but still need outside corners," said Reid. "Williams had more interceptions last season (seven) than the Jaguars as a team (six)."
With only three running backs on the roster, an addition or two is needed here. But in addition to that, this position is going to play a key role in helping to get the overall offense back on track. Within Liam Coen's offense, the running and passing game concepts go hand-in-hand, not to mention that the running backs play a key role in the passing game.
"With Travis Etienne Jr. in the final year of his contract, this would be a good place to pick Sampson," wrote Reid. "He's an efficient zone runner with excellent contact balance."
Similarly to cornerback, adding Eric Murray to the mix at safety provides stability, but depth and perhaps competition for playing time could still be added to this position group.
The Jaguars made two additions at tight end in free agency, and everyone is extremely high on Brenton Strange. So, addressing this position isn't a must, but signing Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt shouldn't stop the Jaguars in the draft from further adding to this room either. Helm will bring a well-rounded skill set to the NFL, and that is valuable at the tight end position in Coen's scheme.
After not adding to the defensive front in free agency, this is absolutely a position group where we should expect the Jaguars to double-dip. Gladstone said earlier this offseason that he wanted to prioritize the defensive front, and to me, that means not only spending a premium pick on the position, but multiple picks as well.
Linebacker is far from a pressing need, but once you get to the latter portion of Day 3, positional need tends to go out the window, especially for a team with 10 picks. In addition to that, when it comes to planning ahead, Devin Lloyd is in the final year of his deal, and Foyesade Oluokun is nearing his age-30 season.
As mentioned earlier, depth at this position group is very much needed. The play from the top to the bottom of this depth chart has to be elevated after last season.
Certainly not a need, but as we just mentioned, positional need takes a back seat on Day 3, especially with 10 draft picks in total. Leonard could compete with John Wolford for the third quarterback spot on the depth chart, not to mention that it's never a bad thing to have a developmental prospect at the game's most important position, particularly to one day potentially step into that backup role.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Breaking down Jaguars picks in ESPN's 7-round mock
Continue reading...
Let's break it all down with our instant reactions and takeaways from each Jaguars' pick.
Jaguars pick at 5: Mason Graham, IDL, Michigan
This pick makes plenty of sense for the Jaguars, which is why it is so popular. The Jaguars need a much stronger interior presence, and Graham is widely considered the top defensive tackle prospect in this year's class.
However, while this is a popular selection in mocks, as Adam Schefter would report, the Jaguars are considered a "wild card" by many with this fifth pick. They have a number of different directions they could go.
"Graham is a heavy-handed, disruptive presence in the middle. With 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 26 pressures last season, he was a consistent nuisance for opposing offenses," wrote Reid. "New general manager James Gladstone comes from a Rams organization that drafts prospects who are immediately ready to play, and that's Graham. Adding him to a roster with Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker and Arik Armstead would potentially give the Jaguars a top-level defensive line."
Jaguars pick at 36: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Egbuka comes to the NFL as a very polished player who is ready to make a quick impact. Most of his snaps at Ohio State came from the slot, but he has the size and ball skills to line up on the boundary as well.
Egbuka could be the No. 2 option in the Jaguars' offense right away. In addition to that, he seems to fit the 'intangibly rich' mold that GM James Gladstone is looking for as well.
"Egbuka would be an excellent complementary option to Brian Thomas Jr. in Liam Coen's offense," Reid wrote. "He had 81 catches for 1,011 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season and is a nuanced and detailed route runner. Egbuka is a ready-made target who can step in and play right away."
Jaguars pick at 70: Nohl Williams, CB, Cal
Adding Jourdan Lewis provided stability at cornerback, but that position remains a need. At a minimum, Williams provides needed depth on the boundary and could potentially compete with Jarrian Jones for playing time.
"The Jaguars added Jourdan Lewis and Eric Murray but still need outside corners," said Reid. "Williams had more interceptions last season (seven) than the Jaguars as a team (six)."
Jaguars pick at 88: Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
With only three running backs on the roster, an addition or two is needed here. But in addition to that, this position is going to play a key role in helping to get the overall offense back on track. Within Liam Coen's offense, the running and passing game concepts go hand-in-hand, not to mention that the running backs play a key role in the passing game.
"With Travis Etienne Jr. in the final year of his contract, this would be a good place to pick Sampson," wrote Reid. "He's an efficient zone runner with excellent contact balance."
Jaguars pick at 107: Billy Bowman Jr., S, Oklahoma
Similarly to cornerback, adding Eric Murray to the mix at safety provides stability, but depth and perhaps competition for playing time could still be added to this position group.
Jaguars pick at 126: Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
The Jaguars made two additions at tight end in free agency, and everyone is extremely high on Brenton Strange. So, addressing this position isn't a must, but signing Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt shouldn't stop the Jaguars in the draft from further adding to this room either. Helm will bring a well-rounded skill set to the NFL, and that is valuable at the tight end position in Coen's scheme.
Jaguars pick at 142: Sai'vion Jones, Edge, LSU
After not adding to the defensive front in free agency, this is absolutely a position group where we should expect the Jaguars to double-dip. Gladstone said earlier this offseason that he wanted to prioritize the defensive front, and to me, that means not only spending a premium pick on the position, but multiple picks as well.
Jaguars pick at 182: Eugene Asante, LB, Auburn
Linebacker is far from a pressing need, but once you get to the latter portion of Day 3, positional need tends to go out the window, especially for a team with 10 picks. In addition to that, when it comes to planning ahead, Devin Lloyd is in the final year of his deal, and Foyesade Oluokun is nearing his age-30 season.
Jaguars pick at 194: Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota
As mentioned earlier, depth at this position group is very much needed. The play from the top to the bottom of this depth chart has to be elevated after last season.
Jaguars pick at 221: Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame
Certainly not a need, but as we just mentioned, positional need takes a back seat on Day 3, especially with 10 draft picks in total. Leonard could compete with John Wolford for the third quarterback spot on the depth chart, not to mention that it's never a bad thing to have a developmental prospect at the game's most important position, particularly to one day potentially step into that backup role.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Breaking down Jaguars picks in ESPN's 7-round mock
Continue reading...
