The Jacksonville Jaguars' top needs entering the are widely considered to be the offensive and defensive line. There are even some mock drafts that have the Jaguars taking a quarterback with the No. 9 overall pick to compete with second-year
However, the Jags have generally made a habit of taking the best player available; they didn't really "need" Kentucky outside linebacker Josh Allen at No. 7 overall last year but selected him because Allen was the best player on their board. That turned out to be a spectacular pick.
Thus, with the No. 9 pick in next Thursday's first round we project the Jaguars to select Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy simply because he is still available if not a huge position of need. Some scouts list Jeudy as the top receiver overall, while on the CBS Big Board he's the No. 12 overall player and No. 2 wideout behind Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Jeudy ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and had a vertical jump of 35 inches. He caught 75 balls for 1,163 yards and 10 scores last year for the Tide. The year before, he had 14 TD catches and was a consensus All-American and the Biletnikoff Award winner. Jeudy's seven games with multiple TD catches over the past two seasons ranked first in the FBS.
At William Hill sportsbook, Jeudy is given an Over-Under draft position of 12.5, with the Under a -138 favorite. He and Lamb are both +120 to be the first receiver off the board. Where bettors could really cash in on Jeudy is "which team drafts Jerry Jeudy" prop. The Jaguars aren't even individually listed but part of the field at +800. The Raiders are +140 favorites
Jacksonville has two good young receivers in DJ Chark and Dede Westbrook, but adding Jeudy could give the team one of the NFL's best groups and Minshew could use all the help he can get. The Jags can then deal with the offensive or defensive line with the No. 20 overall pick.
NFL picks: Jeudy to field at +800, Under 12.5 draft position
