Blake Bortles, the Jaguars' 2014 first-round pick, had his most consistent season in 2017 and in February the team rewarded him with a three-year, $54 million contract extension that will keep him in Jacksonville through 2020.

But for as well as Bortles played, there were still holes in his game; he completed a career-best 60.2 percent of his passes for 3,687 yards to go along with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, but he was no better than replacement level, according to Football Outsiders' metrics. Bortles ranked 16th in value per play among all quarterbacks in 2018, just behind Russell Wilson and just ahead of Dak Prescott.

So while Bortles has the full support of the coaching staff, front office and his teammates, that doesn't mean the Jaguars won't be kicking the tires on his eventual replacement, especially if one of the top-tier quarterbacks slips in the draft and is still on the board when the Jags go on the clock with the 29th overall pick.

Which brings us to Jaguars executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin, who was asked Friday about Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.

"I think he's an outstanding young man," Coughlin said, via the Florida Times-Union's Phillip Heilman. "I think he's an extremely talented athlete."

General manager Dave Caldwell added: "He's a rare athlete. As a quarterback, he's a good player. He won a lot of games at that position. [Drafting him] depends what your scheme is, what you want to do and how you want to play and how he fits. I can't say he's the prototypical pocket passer, but you can win games with a guy like him."

In our most recent mock draft, we have the Jaguars taking Oklahoma St. quarterback Mason Rudolph, but we have had them selecting Jackson in previous versions. Our colleagues, meanwhile, have Jacksonville targeting these players with the 29th pick:

The takeaway: Quarterback is a need, though not an immediate one. The depth chart at wide receiver, however, lacks depth and it won't be a surprise if the Jags take one early in the draft. But should one of those quarterbacks fall -- and as many as six could go  in Round 1 -- Jacksonville will have a decision to make.