Don’t let the Jacksonville Jaguars fool you; they may have signed Nick Foles to a deal worth $50 million in guarantees, but Tom Coughlin and Doug Marrone still intend to win by rebuilding their once-elite defense.
Whether that strategy will work or not, in the offense-leaning modern NFL, remains to be seen. But the Jaguars will try, and if an elite prospect like Quinnen Williams drops to the No. 7 pick, then they won’t hesitate to add to their defensive front.
The Jaguars drafted an interior defensive lineman in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft as well, picking up Florida’s Taven Bryan. After losing Malik Jackson in free agency, however, a need exists once again, and Williams is a defensive lineman with the monumental upside to make Jaguars fans forget about Jackson entirely.
Williams emerged onto the scene after just one year starting in Alabama’s defense. That’s all it took for Williams to cement himself as a top talent with his combination of burst, athleticism, sheer power, and flexibility at the line. Jacksonville’s defense, still stocked with talented players, is a perfect match for the best player in the NFL Draft, if he makes it this far down the board. And Jacksonville has four IHOP’s, so Williams himself should take no time to get comfortable.