Jags are about to crush the hopes and dreams of one of the draft's best players right at the last minute
For nearly the entire portion of "draft season" Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham has been linked to the Jacksonville Jaguars.It makes sense, too. The Jags need a true game-wrecker on the defensive line to help free up Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker on the outside. A guy like Graham would do just that, which in […]
For nearly the entire portion of "draft season" Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham has been linked to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It makes sense, too. The Jags need a true game-wrecker on the defensive line to help free up Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker on the outside. A guy like Graham would do just that, which in turn would help elevate a defense looking to rebound from a bad 2024 season.
Well, that doesn't seem likely, all of a sudden. Plenty of the top insiders around the league have shifted gears and now believe the Jags will take an offensive skill player with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The closer we get to Thursday, the more I think the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to go offense and not defense at No. 5. I don’t know where that’ll leave Michigan DT Mason Graham (I’ve heard the analytics people with some teams aren’t wild about Graham), but it could cause him to slip a few spots—plenty of people see him behind Ole Miss OT Walter Nolen as a prospect. Nolen, though, has character questions to work through. – Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated
I think it would be a surprise if the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t take an offensive skill position player at fifth overall. I’ll just leave it at that. – Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports
ESPN's Adam Schefter recently noted the Jags could take a receiver at No. 5 overall, like Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan. He also mentioned Ashton Jeanty on ESPN's podcast titled "Unsportsmanlike".
Many mock drafts have pegged the Jaguars to select Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5 overall… As the venerable Lee Corso says, however — not so fast, my friends… As one league executive said recently: "Jacksonville is a wild card — watch."
Jaguars coach Liam Coen has long had a soft spot for wide receivers in the draft, and the top-rated wideout in this class, Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, has drawn comparisons to … the Bucs' Mike Evans. Coen, who coached Evans last year, knows how valuable a player like that can be to an offense. – Adam Schefter, ESPN
As Breer notes, Graham could start to slide if the Jags pass on him at No. 5 and it's looking like they will. Becoming a top-5 pick in the draft is what these guys dream of, so seeing Graham miss out on the opportunity after looking like a shoe-in for so long would be a stark reminder of just how quickly things can change in the NFL.
But hey, I'm sure it'll serve as plenty of motivation and a player this talented that also has a chip on their shoulder would certainly be one to watch in the coming years.
