In his two-round mock draft, who does Dane Brugler see the Jaguars taking?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are expecting a strong showing in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Jacksonville has 10 picks in the April draft, plus additional picks in the fourth, sixth, and seventh rounds. And, following a poor 9-8 season in 2023, the Jaguars will need to make the most of those picks.
As a result, we will provide regular updates on significant mock drafts from draft experts throughout the offseason.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic created one of the first mock drafts we’ll look at. Brugler keeps an eye on the draft scene, and on Tuesday, he issued a two-round mock draft.
So, who did Brugler forecast for the Jaguars, and what should we make of his reasoning? We will look into it below.
Round 1, No. 17: LSU WR Brian Thomas
in is one of the most intriguing picks made by the Jaguars in draft season. Brugler finally chose to give the Jaguars the No. 3 receiver in the draft, following players such as FSU EDGE Jared Verse, Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins, and Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy who went before Thomas.
Among the players Brugler passed on are Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, Oregon offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga.
While I understand wanting to choose value in the trenches early on, I believe wide receiver is a hidden need for the Jaguars. Calvin Ridley may or may not return in 2024, and the Jaguars haven’t gotten anything out of Zay Jones’ contract thus far.
Zay Jones finished 80th in receiving yards and 71st in yards per route (1.05.) among 80 wide receivers with at least 50 targets in 2023. Jones also finished 43rd in yards per route out of 84 such receivers last year, indicating that he was not efficient while he was healthy in 2022.
Out of 68 wide receivers with 100 targets in the last two years, Zay Jones ranks:
- No. 58 in yards per route
- No. 67 in drop %
- No. 60 in yards per target
Jones benefited from a high volume of targets, but a decreasing volume share and injuries in 2023 have raised the question of whether the Jaguars should move on. And if they do, they’ll have to find a successor soon.
Round 2, No. 48 overall: Kansas State offensive lineman Cooper Beebe.
This is where Jaguars fans are likely to rejoice. The Jaguars’ interior offensive line ended in the bottom five in blown block rate in the rushing game, and there is a good probability they will need to find a new starting left and right guards at the same time. As a reason, it is unsurprising that Brugler chose Cooper Beebe, a versatile lineman.
Beebe may not be the biggest blocker, but he has enough positional and athletic versatility to intrigue clubs like the Jaguars, who want to do everything on offense. At this point, it appears that the Jaguars will need to use an early choice on the offensive line to get the offense back on track.
