Jaguars' Top 2022 NFL Draft Targets

The 2022 NFL draft is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, and it all starts with the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1.

After a tumultuous season, the Jaguars finished with the worst record in football (3-14) and the No. 1 overall pick for the second season in a row.

Last year, quarterback Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 prospect. There wasn't much mystery about what the Jaguars would do to open the draft.

This year isn't quite as cut-and-dried. Michigan pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson has emerged as the favorite. He's -200 (wager $200 to win $100) on DraftKings Sportsbook to be the No. 1 overall pick. For context, Trevor Lawrence was -1000 around this time last year.

Let's take a look at the Jags' top options when it comes to the first overall pick.

Aidan Hutchinson (scouting report) is not the archetypal favorite to be the top pick. His potential to be the first player taken is highly influenced by the team that has the No. 1 pick and the lack of a clear-cut No. 1 quarterback.

Hutchinson is the third-highest-ranked edge and No. 9 overall player on Bleacher Report's big board. It helps that the Jaguars happen to have a need for an elite pass-rusher to pair with Josh Allen.

It's an interesting hypothetical to think about what the odds would be had the Jags not handed Cam Robinson the franchise tag. Robinson has been solid, if not spectacular, at left tackle, and the franchise tag gives him one more guaranteed season in Jacksonville.

Robinson's presence on the roster could be enough to eliminate tackle as a possibility for the top pick. That leaves Hutchinson as the favorite.

He's a strong prospect coming off a highly productive season at Michigan. He was a force on a defense that led Michigan to its first College Football Playoff appearance.

The hope is he would be an immediate leader and help lead the Jaguars back to the playoffs.

As far as top-tier prospects go, it doesn't get much different than Travon Walker (scouting report) and Hutchinson.

While Hutchinson was a college football star with proven production, Walker played a much smaller role on a loaded defense. He posted 7.5 tackles for loss and six sacks on a unit that could produce up to four first-round picks.

Still, Walker has created plenty of buzz in the predraft process. He posted the third-highest relative athletic score for a defensive end since 1987, per Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network. Platte's model lists Myles Garrett as the closest athletic comparison.

Walker was not a full-time outside rusher at Georgia, which could explain his middling production. There's no denying with his athletic profile and potential is sky-high.

As Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus noted, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke showed a preference for potential over production when he took Aldon Smith in the 2011 draft.

This close to the draft, it certainly feels like the decision for the No. 1 pick is going to come down to Hutchinson or Walker. But this is Baalke we are talking about. Nothing is completely off the table.

The general wisdom is that the presence of Robinson on the franchise tag makes it unlikely the Jaguars pick a tackle here. However, that's bad process. No position, except for quarterback, should be off the table if the prospect is good enough.

Especially not one who is signed for just one more season.

Early draft picks are essentially a four-year commitment. So guaranteeing Robinson is around for one more season shouldn't be enough to dissuade the Jaguars from taking a tackle if they think he's the best prospect.

Evan Neal (scouting report) is the No. 2 prospect on the B/R big board. He showed off the kind of elite tackle he can be by getting down to 337 pounds for the draft process. He has only allowed 24 pressures playing at Alabama over the past two seasons with experience at right and left tackle, per PFF.

The Jags could still shock the world by taking Neal and add a personal protector for Lawrence for the foreseeable future.

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