Ashton Jeanty is favored to end up with Liam Coen’s Jaguars at 5?

Draft expert Todd McShay revealed that Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen wants Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, and Arizona's Tet McMillan is their backup plan.

Ashton Jeanty is favored to end up with Liam Coen’s Jaguars at 5?

Ashton Jeanty (Image via IMAGO)

Raiders, Cowboys, and Steelers- beware, the Jacksonville Jaguars want running back Ashton Jeanty. It’s an unexpected development, but an exciting one nonetheless.

A flurry of mock drafts in the last 24 hours has projected the Jaguars drafting Jeanty. The Ringer’s Todd McShay rounded up his 4th and final mock draft video on Wednesday.

McShay mentioned that the Jaguars were locked to draft Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham to improve their defensive line. New general manager James Gladstone was part of the Los Angeles Rams team under Les Snead, who drafted defensive ends Kobie Turner (2023) and Braden Fiske (2024).

The scrutiny surrounding Graham’s arm being shorter than most tackles didn’t faze Gladstone because he wanted to make the D-line more dynamic.

Here comes the fun part. Gladstone wasn’t the only addition to the Jaguars’ brass in the off-season. They also appointed former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as the head coach, and he wants Jeanty and not Graham.

Liam Coen… Kind of put his foot down a little bit. And right or wrong, he’s decided that you brought me in here to fix Trevor Lawrence, give me the tools in which to do it.

Tod McShay revealed

Graham aside, several mock drafts linked Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan to the Jaguars. Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. was the only receiver to cross 1000 yards (87 receptions and 1282 yards), with tight end Brenton Strange finishing second by adding 411 yards from 53 receptions.

I am told that pretty reliable sources that it will be an offensive skill guy and it will one of those two [McMillan and Jeanty] players.

McShay added

Who are the other teams that want to draft Ashton Jeanty besides the Jaguars?

Every year, teams make an official commitment to either stick with their assigned draft picks or listen to trade offers from other teams. Only the Tennessee Titans confirmed they will draft first overall, and after that, every pick is fluid.

Analyst claims Ashton Jeanty is favored to end up with Liam Cohen's Jaguars at 5
Ashton Jeanty (Image via IMAGO)

Teams near the middle and end of the drafting order are suddenly acting up just one day before the draft. McShay revealed that every draft pick is up for grabs.

Jeanty is a hot commodity. According to some, the Boise State graduate is one of the three elite talents besides Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter in this year’s draft. McShay revealed the Jaguars aren’t the only team that’s gunning for the player who nearly broke Barry Sanders’ college record in 2024.

There has been a lot of noise about teams trying to trade up and go get Jeanty, he’s the hot name. Chicago is one of those teams at 10—Dallas [Cowboys], we have heard a little bit… Denver—if Jeanty were to get past this pick [5th overall], Sean Payton is eagerly trying to move up to go and get Ashton Jeanty.

McShay said

Jeanty will be a Jaguar unless Coen and Gladstone receive a trade-back offer. If the offer gives them a good chance to take McMillan, then they might say yes to it.

Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been as dynamic as he was in his college days at Clemson. He threw to receivers like Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins when they won the CFP title. It hasn’t happened in the NFL.  

McMillan is in a similar set of molds to Ross and Higgins. 6 feet 4 inches tall, nimble, and with long hands, he is capable of pulling off reel-worthy catches.

Adding skilled players to surround Lawrence is a good call from Coen, but there’s an issue. They already have two capable running backs on the roster.

Travis Etienne was drafted just 24 picks after Lawrence in 2021. The Jags thought the dynamic duo would bring the Clemson flair to Jacksonville, but they guessed wrong. Etienne ran 1000 yards in back-to-back seasons but lost the number one RB spot to Tank Bigsby last year. As per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (ht/Yahoo Sports), Etienne is expendable, and the Jaguars could look to trade the 26-year-old to make way for Jeanty.

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