Post-free agency full NFL two-round mock: Redskins trade down
By Ian Cummings
52. . Defensive Lineman. Jacksonville Jaguars. Derrick Brown. 9. player
The Jacksonville Jaguars and defensive linemen. Name a better duo.
At the height of Jacksonville’s short championship window, which peaked in 2017, the Jaguars had Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson, Marcell Dareus, and Yannick Ngakoue all under one roof. In the ensuing 2018 NFL Draft, they attempted to take their line over the edge by selecting the hyper-athletic Taven Bryan.
The Jaguars tried to build a contender around their defense, but bad investments elsewhere led the team to where it is now. Campbell, Jackson, and Dareus are all gone, and Ngakoue is all but moving on from Jacksonville. The team must rebuild its front back into a force, and luckily for them, they can still get back to that blueprint, by selecting Auburn’s Derrick Brown at No. 9 overall.
Brown stands at 6-foot-5, 326, and yet, he has the disruptive ability of a lineman who’s twenty pounds smaller. With long, 34-inch levers for arms, Brown has a strong anchor at the line of scrimmage, and his quick burst and heavy punches culminate in trouble for opposing offensive linemen. For the Jaguars, Brown would provide versatility, playmaking ability, and a blue-chip pedigree on the line that’s been missing for too long.