Jaguars 2024 NFL Draft: Gus’ final mock

Sorry to spoil the Jaguars’ draft for you.

It’s been a busy week here at Big Cat Country.

Our draft home page is chock-full with Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Draft content.

With just a few hours until the Bears are on the clock, I flew through Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator — the same used by Simon and Dillon in their recent mocks — to deliver my first and final 2024 Jaguars mock draft.

Without further ado…

Round 1, pick 17: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

The Jaguars may technically have several higher-graded prospects available when they’re on the clock tonight, but as Trent Baalke said at the team’s pre-draft presser, “When in doubt, you’re going to take the need, if it’s close.”

I will kindly direct you to our mock Jaguars big board for the full explanation of why I believe McKinstry will likely be the pick if Terrion Arnold and Quinyon Mitchell are off the board — which they were in this mock simulation.

Round 2, pick 48: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington

I was prepared to select a defensive lineman with the second-round pick, due to the expected sharp drop-off in talent at the position, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Polk’s name available at 48. He’s who I consider to be the best feasible receiver prospect available in that range.

Polk has a lot of similar characteristics to his college teammate Rome Odunze’s well-rounded game. Polk will just be selected a round later because his athleticism is merely good-not-great. Some common player comparisons for him include Chris Godwin, Puka Nakua, Mohamed Sanu and DeaSean Hamilton.

Like former Jaguar Allen Robinson, Polk may not have the extra gear to run away from defenders, but he is one of the surest catchers of the football you’ll come across — something Trevor Lawrence should appreciate. He’s also an intelligent receiver against zone coverage, which would make for a nice pairing with man-coverage-destroyer Christian Kirk.

Round 3, pick 96: Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame

I would be shocked if the Jaguars didn’t select an offensive lineman with one of its five top-120 picks. Anywhere from pick 17 to 116 wouldn’t surprise me, but I went in the middle here in the third round.

Fisher was expected to start at left tackle for Notre Dame before an injury sidelined him, which opened the door for coaches to watch Joe Alt protect the blindside. While the former may have been pushed to the right side and is expected to be drafted nearly 100 picks after the latter, Fisher is a solid prospect in his own right. He’s a toolsy tackle with NFL length, smooth movement skills and a quick bounce at the snap.

The Jaguars may actually like his experience on the right, as Cam Robinson and Walker Little’s contracts expire next offseason and Anton Harrison may be viewed as an option to play left tackle long term. Fisher doesn’t have very inspiring advanced statistics, but he could become a future starter with some time behind the scenes to clean up his technique.

Round 4, pick 114: Mekhi Wingo, DL, LSU

Round 4, pick 116: Tanor Bortolini, IOL, Wisonsin

I doubled-dipped in the trenches with near back-to-back picks in the fourth round with two of my guys. As Josh Allen recently tweeted, “The battles are always won or lost in the trenches.”

While his 32” arms don’t fit Baalke’s thresholds, Wingo would be reunited with former LSU defensive coordinator Matt House (who was hired by the Jaguars this offseason to coach inside linebackers) and could be a potential replacement option for Dawaune Smoot (who had a recent visit with the Texans) with his “tweener” body type. Wingo has the kind of burst defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen would appreciate.

Jacksonville, which will be looking to add competition to its interior offensive line even after extending Exra Cleveland, re-structuring Brandon Scherff and signing Mitch Morse, met with Bortolini during his pro day and a top 30 visit.

He was described by OL guru Brandon Thorn as “a compact, stoutly built center prospect who can play guard in a pinch. His good core strength and zone run-blocking skills signal a spot starter or key depth piece in a run-first, zone-based, play-action/RPO heavy scheme.”

Round 5, pick 153: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame

I expect the Jaguars to continue pouring investments into the linebacker position. Baalke may have hinted at this when asked how the league’s new kickoff rules will affect roster construction.

“I think when you talk to special teams coaches, getting guys that can bump-and-release, press-and-release, get off of blocks quickly, strike-and-go, is going to be important,” he said last week. “So, I think you’re going to see some bigger bodies involved in it, if I were to guess. But I think for the most part, bringing the kickoff back into the play is going to help the guys, the [special] teams guys especially, when you build the roster with linebacker type players.”

From Dane Brugler’s essential draft guide: “Overall, Liufau has intriguing traits with his length, burst and violence, but he must improve his play instincts to balance out his relentless play style. He should shine as a ‘core four’ special teamer in the NFL while he gets coached up for a chance at meaningful defensive snaps.”

Round 6, pick 206: Eric Watts, EDGE, UConn

*pick acquired via trade: Jacksonville’s 212 and 236 for Tampa Bay’s 206 and 243

As mentioned earlier, I was looking to add pass rushers earlier in the draft, but Polk and Fisher were values I couldn’t pass up. So I returned to the edge class after a handful of lightweight prospects went off the board, and swapped picks with the Bucs to ensure I landed one of the last big men available at the position.

Watts is more of a Baalke pick relative to Wingo; his physical profile includes a 97th-percentile arm length and a 79th-percentile 40-yard dash. Like Liufatu, Watts’ athletic traits and competitive spirit are worth betting on in Day 3.

I can’t imagine the Jaguars will leave the draft without someone to challenge Yasir Abdullah and Trevis Gipson as the top backup behind Josh Allen and Travon Walker.

Round 7, pick 243: Zion Logue, DT, Georgia

*pick acquired via trade

I couldn’t not end the mock with a player who shares my surname. There’s a chance we’ll be living in the same city soon, too.

“Logue looked athletic in drills” at Georgia’s Pro Day, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda. “Teams believe he was underused at Georgia and is a sixth- or seventh-round pick who comes with a large upside. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons have all spent time with Logue and have an interest.”

As mentioned on the Jaguar Report podcast, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jaguars picked a nose (hah) tackle in the seventh round. It makes sense to find cheap insurance at the position based on DaVon Hamilton’s ambiguous health status and Jacksonville’s late-season collapse defending the run last year.

Final results:

• Round 1, pick 17: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
• Round 2, pick 48: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
• Round 3, pick 96: Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame
• Round 4, pick 114: Mekhi Wingo, DL, LSU
• Round 4, pick 116: Tanor Bortolini, IOL, Wisonsin
• Round 5, pick 153: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame
• Round 6, pick 206: Eric Watts, EDGE, UConn
• Round 7, pick 243: Zion Logue, DT, Georgia

Thanks for reading! As a treat, here’s a list of potential undrafted free agents the Jaguars could look to sign at each position. This is mostly based on our prospect visit tracker and the list of names available in the mock simulator when I made my last pick.

• QB Michael Hiers
• RB Jase McClellan
• WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
• TE McCallan Castles
• OT Travis Glover
• IOL Bryan Hudson
• DT Justin Rogers
• DE Grayson Murphy
• LB Jamal Hill
• CB Chigozie Anusiem
• S Mark Perry
• K Cameron Little
• P Jake Walrath

Happy draft day!