Congratulations are in order to the Jacksonville Jaguars for being No. 1 two years in a row. Unfortunately, it’s in the wrong category, but their standing does place the organization in a nice spot to improve this offseason.
Any time you have the top overall pick in a draft, there’s a great chance of adding an impact player to your franchise. The biggest issue for the Jaguars and likely other teams picking toward the top, is that there is no consensus No. 1 overall pick. Last year we knew from Day One of the offseason, Trevor Lawrence would be the top pick.
This time around, few scouts and analysts can agree who should go No. 1, or who has the best chance to become a premier player within a few seasons. Because of this great uncertainty, the Jaguars might want to trade their selection, in the hopes of acquiring more assets to continue building around their franchise quarterback.
If they aren’t sure about the top overall prospect on their draft board, perhaps it makes more sense to improve their odds at finding a player who can make an immediate impact. Think of it this way. If the Jags feel the top player available isn’t lightyears ahead of another player they have targeted on their draft board maybe a few selections later, why wouldn’t they offer their pick to the highest bidder?
Or how about this, if the Jags aren’t as high on some of the perceived top prospects, but are higher on others that may be further down the board, doesn’t it make more sense to acquire more selections in an effort to land more opportunities to acquire such desirable talents? That could be exactly what general manager Trent Baalke is prepared to do, if anyone meets his asking price.
Related: Jacksonville Jaguars full 7-round mock draft
Jacksonville Jaguars GM willing to trade top pick in 2022 draft
We hear this every year that there isn’t a consensus No. 1 overall pick among draft pundits, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are no different. According to GM Trent Baalke, whom most of the Jags fans do not like, the franchise is “always open for business” regarding a potential trade of the top overall selection in April’s 2022 NFL Draft.
It’s a bit ironic, as nearly a year ago, the organization didn’t seem to have any thoughts of trading their top selection when it was Lawrence that was widely seen as the top prospect available. Obviously, we’re not seeing the same results this year, but that doesn’t mean the Jaguars can’t still pick a player who becomes a franchise cornerstone.
In any event, it makes sense for Baalke to leave the door open for potential negotiations. We’re still fairly early in the draft process with the NFL scouting combine taking place later this week. A team could still fall in love with a prospect who jumps up the draft board, creating the internal pressure needed to prompt a big trade.
Even if a trade were to occur, Jaguars fans shouldn’t expect a haul simply because the top of the class doesn’t have a blue-chip, can’t miss prospect. This will only drive the value of those picks down, at least compared to say last season when quarterbacks were selected with the first three picks.
Yet, the top pick is the top pick, which means the trade compensation would still be significant, just don’t expect any team to completely break the bank, offering their entire future up for maybe a left tackle or pass-rusher when this draft is chock-full of them.
Related: 2022 NFL Mock Draft