The Jacksonville Jaguars passed on quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a very unique seven-round mock draft put together by Chad Reuter of NFL.com.
In this mock, rather than selecting the top college prospects or redrafting past drafts, Reuter selected only active NFL players. In doing so, he had one goal in mind for each team, which was to “win now.”
So, who did the Jaguars pick instead of Lawrence, and what did their seven-man draft class end up looking like?
Jacksonville Jaguars pick QB Justin Herbert
Holding the fifth overall pick in this mock, Jacksonville took LA Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Over his career, Herbert has completed 66.5% of his passes at 7.2 yards per attempt with 137 touchdowns to 45 interceptions. He was the 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year and is a one-time Pro Bowler.
Herbert and the Chargers have been to the playoffs twice, with one of those losses coming to the Jaguars on an incredible second-half comeback led by Lawrence.
Lawrence ended up being taken 16th overall in this mock by Arizona.
Who else did the Jaguars pick in this mock draft?
- Round 2: Tristan Wirfs, OT
- Round 3: Danielle Hunter, DE
- Round 4: Ashton Jeanty, RB
- Round 5: Jerry Jeudy, WR
- Round 6: Deommodore Lenoir, CB
- Round 7: Colston Loveland, TE
Around Herbert, the Jaguars prioritize the trenches, taking Wirfs in Round 2. Consistent success for any offense begins up front with time in the pocket for a quarterback and the offense having a run game to lean on. Wirfs was PFF’s highest-graded pass-blocking tackle last season.
At the skill positions, the Jaguars land Jeanty, who was the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft after a dominant 2024 season at Boise State. Loveland brings a field-stretching and heavy pass-catching presence to the tight end position, while Jeudy is coming off his best season, totaling 1,229 receiving yards.
On defense, Hunter was sixth in pressures in 2024, and as we know, the name of the game is getting after the quarterback. Lenoir, meanwhile, has experience playing both inside and out, and has had excellent ball production in his career, which includes eight interceptions and 16 pass breakups over the last three seasons.
To see which five Jaguars players were selected in this mock, you can find that here.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars pick QB Justin Herbert in mock draft of active NFL players