Jaguars 2022 Draft Grades: An Impressive Haul

Jaguars 2022 Draft Grades

For the second consecutive year, the Jacksonville Jaguars held the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. This means for the second year in a row, the Jaguars earned the title of being the worst team schedule-wise in the NFL. Last year with the first overall pick, the Jaguars selected Trevor Lawrence, a quarterback that many labeled as a can’t miss prospect and a generational talent. But with the lack of talent around him and the turmoil within the franchise produced by Head Coach Urban Meyer, Lawrence’s season left much to be desired – even for a rookie.

Entering the 2022 draft, Jacksonville had plenty of positional needs to address to surround Lawrence with better talent so they won’t be labeled as the franchise to ruin a ‘once in a lifetime quarterback prospect.’

Here are my Jaguars 2022 draft grades.

Jaguars 2022 Draft Grades:

Round 1 (No. 1 overall): Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia

With the first pick in the draft, the Jaguars decided to go with a player with a tremendous amount of upside that is athletically as gifted as any player in the draft. Many thought they should go with edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson but I agreed with the pick of Walker because he can not only play defensive end but he has the size and strength to play defensive tackle and can develop into a dominant interior defensive lineman.

Round 1 (No. 20 overall): Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

The Jaguars made an aggressive move to get back into the first round and nab another versatile defender in Utah’s LB Devin Lloyd. Lloyd is a downhill thumper than is also a good rusher on the edge. I particularly like this pick because Lloyd can move all around this defense and he is intelligent enough to play multiple positions.

Round 3 (No. 65 overall): Luke Fortner, IOL, Kentucky

The Jags were amongst the worst teams statistically in giving up sacks last year and a big part of that was the sub-par play of the interior offensive line. In identifying that this was an issue, the Jaguars selected interior offensive lineman Luke Fortner. Fortner has the ability to play all three-interior offensive line positions and should be an immediate contributor up front for the Jaguars.

Round 3 (No. 70 overall): Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming

Muma is a good athlete that thrives at playing space. The addition of Muma with Devin Lloyd, Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson gives the Jaguars one of the most versatile linebacker corps in the NFL.

Round 5 (No. 154 overall): Snoop Conner, RB, Ole Miss

This was “interesting” to say the least. The Jaguars spent a first-round draft pick on running back Travis Etienne last year and have other veteran backs on the roster. I believe that Conner can be a reliable contributor in the NFL but I thought this was a bit early for this selection and the projected role for Conner early on.

Round 6 (No. 197 overall): Gregory Junior, CB, Ouichita Baptist

In the past few drafts, the Jaguars have spent significant draft capital on the defensive back position but has yielded little return. So, them selecting a defensive back in the sixth round was not surprising because it is a bit of a necessity. Junior is a high-upside player that can contribute immediately on special teams for the Jags.

Round 2 (No. 222 overall): Montaric Brown, CB, Arkansas

In the seventh round the Jags selected what was personally one of my favorite corners in the draft in Montaric Brown. Brown is an SEC corner that has tons of experience facing some of the best receivers in the conference. His natural ability to come up with interceptions and fumble recoveries immediately jumps off the film. I have no idea why he was still on the board in the seventh round but if you ask me the Jaguars got an absolute steal with this player. Don’t be surprised if he contributes for the Jaguars this season at the corner position.

The Jaguars entered the draft needing to accomplish two things: form an identity and draft good football players. In analyzing their draft, I believe they’ve done just that, hence why I’m giving them an A-.

Overall Grade: A-