When they come on the clock for the No. 1 overall pick in next week's NFL Draft, it's a virtual certainty that the Jacksonville Jaguars will select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. What they'll do with their remaining nine picks -- which include another first-rounder, at No. 25 overall -- is a bit more of a mystery.
Just don't look for them to reach for a player to fill a need, according to new head coach Urban Meyer.
"I find myself always looking at need and that's where you have to be cautious, you start chasing players," Meyer said, per the team's official website. "So, trusting the board is key. I'm almost at the point that I will trust it, but as a coach, I can see where [you can say], 'We need this, we need this, and we need this' and that's where you get yourself in trouble. It's been a great learning experience for me and to answer your question, I'm nervous. I'm nervous about everything, I think you know that."
For a team as relatively talent-deprived as the Jaguars, it makes sense to take a best-player-available approach to the draft. They need to do everything possible to build the best roster around Lawrence, and they're significantly more likely to do so by drafting the best player as opposed to merely filling a hole on the current roster. Needs aren't static, and a position that looks like a need at the moment might not be a year from now, and vice versa.
The Jaguars might be even better off trading down once or twice with their remaining picks. As plenty of teams have shown, the best way to beat the draft is to acknowledge that you can't actually beat the draft, and collect as many picks as possible so you can throw more and more darts at the wall in the hopes of finding quality players. The Jags have plenty of ammo to go in a number of different directions next week, and it'll be fascinating to see what they do.
