The Jaguars secured their pass rush in bringing back edge rusher josh Allen on the franchise tag to pair with Travon Walker. They added Gabe Davis to their receiving corps in free agency, but need help at the position after the departure of Calvin Ridley to the division rival Tennessee Titans.
In addition to adding receiver help, the focus in the draft should be on bolstering the interior of both lines and improving a pass defense that ranked 26th in the NFL last season. Right guard Brandon Scherff is returning thanks to restructuring his deal to lower his salary-cap hit. But Jacksonville desperately needs to improve one of 2023’s worst run-blocking units.
There was no threat of a pass rush from Jaguars defenders outside of Allen and Walker, who combined for 27.5 of the team’s 40 sacks last season. Adding a defensive lineman who can apply pressure from the inside would be a big boost to Jacksonville. So would adding a No. 1 cornerback in a draft deep at the position.
The Jaguars received a C-minus from Yahoo Sports, though they appeared to have secured the right side of their line with first-round offensive tackle Anton Harrison, who started all 17 games as a rookie. Second-round tight Brenton Strange started four games and caught just four passes as a rookie.
Third-round running back Tank Bigsby was supposed to provide the 2 in a 1-2 punch with starter Travis Etienne Jr. Instead, he carried the ball 50 times for 132 yards as Etienne amounted to a true workhorse behind a poor offensive line. Fifth-round safety Antonio Johnson flashed some upside with two interceptions, one sack and one forced fumble in a part-time role while earning three starts. But there’s significant room for improvement here.
