Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images Where does Jacksonville land in the latest roundup of national media power rankings? Welcome to the post-2024 NFL Draft edition of our Jacksonville Jaguars power rankings roundup. Extensive coverage of the event can be found at our Jaguars draft hub. From Steve Serby of the New York Post: 10 It’s time for a Trevor Lawrence breakout season with new big targets rookie Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis joining Christian Kirk with Calvin Ridley gone. New DC Ryan Nielsen needs predators Josh Allen and Travon Walker flanking DT Arik Armstead to shield a suspect secondary. From Pete Prisco of CBS Sports: 12 They flopped midway through the season in 2023 because they weren’t ready to handle the challenge. It didn’t help that Trevor Lawrence was playing hurt. They will push Houston in the division after a nice draft. From Eric Edholm of NFL.com: 14 The Jaguars hoovered up an SEC-heavy class that arguably improved the offense, defense and special teams, and there appeared to be solid value throughout. Trading back six spots in Round 1 and nabbing receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was a strong first move, and I’d challenge anyone saying that defensive tackle Maason Smith was a reach in Round 2. Four DTs came off the board in a five-pick span near the top of the round, so Smith wasn’t lasting much longer than where he went (No. 48 overall). Plus, if you watched Smith down the stretch last season, he started looking more like he did before he tore his ACL in 2022. I could have used a little more help at cornerback, and drafting a kicker (Cam Little) — especially one who must beat out two veterans to make the team — is always risky business. But all told, the Jags had themselves a productive draft weekend. From Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network: 14 Thomas isn’t a risk-free prospect, but he could turn into exactly what the Jaguars’ offense needed after losing Calvin Ridley in free agency. He’ll join a Jacksonville WR depth chart that includes holdover Christian Kirk and free agent addition Gabe Davis, giving Trevor Lawrence a fighting chance in 2024. Thomas should be a Day 1 starter, provided he’s not hindered by the medical questions that flared up during the pre-draft process. From Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated: 16 Jacksonville disappointed me a bit, although I don’t know what the team’s private pre-draft evaluation of Brian Thomas Jr. looked like. Getting a top target for Trevor Lawrence has obviously been their goal for three consecutive offseasons, which made it seem like a move up to the top 10 for either Harrison, Nabers or Odunze would have made the most sense (it would seem like Atlanta was willing to move down, given the pick). Instead, they let WR4 come to them, which, again, may end up working out given what they thought of Thomas. I like the selection of a placekicker (Cam Little) deep in the draft in hopes of developing one. The back end of this year’s talent pool was poor, and so kicker becomes a value spot if you get the pick right. From David Helman of FOX Sports: 18 Adding Brian Thomas Jr. offsets the loss of Calvin Ridley. The rookie — together with Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Travis Etienne — gives Trevor Lawrence a solid group of weapons. I’m still concerned about the Jags’ offensive line. And even with Josh Allen signed for the long-term, I’m not convinced this defense got much better. From Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News: 18 The Jaguars were smart to go after a great wide receiver value early in Brian Thomas Jr. for Trevor Lawrence ahead of the latter’s lucrative contract extension. The draft was overall meh, however, keeping them solidly behind the Texans in the AFC South. From Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report: 20 Nagging injuries played a part in Lawrence’s play late last season, but there’s at least some reason to think the Jaguars could rebound this year. The departure of wide receiver Calvin Ridley was offset by the signing of Gabe Davis and the selection of LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. The Jags’ defense may not be great, but it’s good enough to keep them in games. From Josh Kendall of The Athletic: 26 The Jaguars like LSU players, and they don’t much care what everyone else thinks of their new players. Jacksonville started the draft by taking wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., the first of three Tigers it drafted. The next eight players all ranked among some of the biggest reaches in the draft based on consensus mock draft rankings. From Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports: 26 Trading back with the Vikings, who were willing to pay a lot to get Dallas Turner, and still getting receiver Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 23 was very nice. Thomas still has to prove himself as an all-around receiver. And the rest of the Jaguars’ class seems average. Source: https://www.bigcatcountry.com/2024/5/1/ ... gs-roundup
