2025 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars draft defensive tackle

Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

(Channeling my inside James Gladstone) Oh boy! I’m excited to make the very first choose of my GM profession. I’ll appear like I’ve simply graduated from school, maybe as a result of I made a decision to rock the perhaps-too-bold hoodie-vest combo throughout my introductory press convention, however I’m prepared for this second. As a late-stage millennial, I’ve been ripping mock draft after mock draft in preparation for this second. PFF Mock Draft Simulator, you might have positioned me in a profitable place, and I’m excited to take whoever stays from the Travis Hunter-Abdul Carter-Will Campbell triad.

(Travis Hunter goes 1) Wait, what? This isn’t what the simulation promised.

(Abdul Carter goes 2) Good Lord, what is occurring? PFF, did you mislead me?

(Will Campbell goes 4) I’m not crying and bodily shaking; I’m simply… allergic to the starch they used to dry-clean my hoodie or one thing.

(Jacksonville Jaguars, you’re ON THE CLOCK. You’ve got 10) Alright, me, settle down. You are able to do this. You realize what everybody says and is aware of about James Gladstone; when life punches him within the face, he punches proper again. So, what will we do?

Who’re the most effective gamers out there? Pulling up some draft analyst large boards (not that I don’t belief the esteemed scouts throughout the Jaguars group), it seems to be like most consultants have Ashton Jeanty, Armand Membou, or Mason Graham as the highest gamers remaining. James, you need cool NFL folks to suppose you’re good. Like you understand how to allocate assets, so that you WILL NOT take Ashton Jeanty.

Nice, so we’re right down to Membou and Graham. Membou is an athletic offensive deal with prospect, and Graham is a meat-and-potatoes blue-chip defensive deal with from the Nationwide Championship-winning Michigan Wolverines. It seems to be like most analysts have Graham as the higher participant, and that aligns with our personal wants, as we’ve first rate tackles however nothing on the defensive inside.

Lastly, I look as much as the sky and recite the mantra I picked up after I bought this job: What would Howie Roseman do? He’s the most effective within the sport, and he’s the tops, so I have to abide by his phrase. Properly, he loves the trenches! As one other remaining test, I have a look at the grime and hiss: What would Trent Baalke do? In all probability take some flashy, overly athletic participant as a substitute of the demonstrably superior man. That’s why he took Travon Walker over Aiden Hutchinson. What a doofus! He’d most likely take Membou. Nice, so I now know what to do / who to keep away from.

Now that I’ve a man in thoughts, I’ve to verify I’m protecting my butt. Keep in mind, as Joe Shoen and Mind Daboll remind us yearly, the true aim of an NFL GM is to not place their franchise for fulfillment however to remain employed one other yr. So this yr, let’s simply make certain to not rock the boat *an excessive amount of.* Let’s peruse a few extra mock drafts, then… Oh wow, EVERYONE has Mason Graham going to the Jaguars, typically utilizing the phrases “marriage of expertise and wish.” Superior, so nobody will bat an eye fixed after I choose him. In reality, it could look bizarre at this level if I didn’t! I don’t want that warmth, so let’s lock it in.

With the Fifth Choose within the NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars choose: MASON GRAHAM, Defensive Sort out – Michigan.

In regards to the Participant:

Mason Graham is, in some ways, a boring meat-and-potatoes choose for the Jaguars. He additionally occurs to be precisely what they want. At a peak of 6’3 to six’4 and a weight of about 300 to 320 kilos, Graham has nice dimension for the defensive deal with place. In school, he starred each as a cross rusher and run defender, putting above the ninety fifth percentile in each phases in accordance with PFF, recording 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in his remaining season at Michigan.

Nevertheless, what actually will get scouts excited is just not his measurables or stats however the way in which he performs the sport. Graham is a high-effort participant with an unbelievable motor and aggressive play model. The high-school wrestling star has an array of strikes in his arsenal, together with a swim transfer, a membership transfer, and a “devastating push-pull transfer” (within the phrases of the Ringer’s Danny Kelly). These strikes are bolstered by a extremely athletic profile, though he didn’t take a look at on the NFL Draft Mix. All of those options, put collectively, make him an distinctive prospect.

Graham is just not a flawless prospect, however his perceived flaws are minor. Probably the most vital critiques of Graham come from his physique, as analysts have famous his arms are “shorter-than-ideal” and questioned his physique composition in a fashion I assumed was a bit imply to place on this write-up. Principally, scouts want he was a bit extra jacked. Nevertheless, if you see how he performs and take into consideration his manufacturing, tape, and different measurables, these worries shortly wash away.

In the end, Mason Graham is exactly the kind of participant the Jaguars want. The Trent Baalke period was made up of fashion over substance. That failed spectacularly, year-over-year-over-year-over-year. In distinction, Mason Graham disciplines each a protection from the inside and a roster by constructing it by means of the trenches. He’s additionally a DOG. He’s an superior participant, has good dimension for the place, and has a powerful projection for each an instantaneous impression and a prolonged, profitable profession. These three options, on their very own, could be sufficient to warrant the choose. Nevertheless, he additionally occurs to fill a substantial want on their roster, particularly as a result of Trent Baalke did such a horrible job in roster development on the finish of the Doug Pederson period. If Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, or Will Campbell had made it this far, the query would, maybe, be harder. They didn’t, so this choose is comparatively simple. Let’s simply hope James Gladstone had sufficient time between the mix and draft to choose up some large boy pants and do what must be completed.

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2025 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Titans (JoeDirtsBarber): Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado2) Browns (kjb304): Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State3) Giants (The Participant Previously Often known as Mousecop): Cam Ward, QB, Miami4) Patriots (ReginaldHtower): Will Campbell, OT, LSU5) Jaguars (eaglenomics): Mason Graham, DT, Michigan6) Raiders (dkays)7) Jets (Stick19154)8) Panthers (89Tremaine)9) Saints (FierceDisc65)10) Bears (DrprofBubbles)11) 49ers (granthill7)12) Cowboys (Be subpar for Ja’Marr)13) Dolphins (thehead92)14) Colts (green1us)15) Falcons (All_Hail_Howie)16) Cardinals (Good Dangerous Concepts)17) Bengals (ablesser88)18) Seahawks (herbalonius)19) Buccaneers (Hoosinole)20) Broncos (Silverlark60)21) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen)22) Chargers (LancGuy)23) Packers (Leo Bedio)24) Vikings (krikkebelgium)25) Texans (Aint1stULast)26) Rams (Booth12)27) Ravens (pheebthegoose)28) Lions (Neil Dutton)29) Commanders (Mailata_in_a_Miata)30) Payments (PhilaWolverine)31) Chiefs (niels.rosenquist)32) Eagles (Philly21)

Now it’s time so that you can vote for who YOU suppose needs to be chosen within the 2025 BGN Neighborhood Consensus Mock Draft.