JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 2025 NFL Draft is officially here, and this year’s rendition of the annual process has been filled with more uncertainty than any draft in recent years.
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The Tennessee Titans have made it clear they are not looking to move their pick at the top of the draft, but what happens after that is anyone’s guess. And one team that seems to be considered the ultimate wild card in the first round is the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I would put the spotlight on the Jacksonville Jaguars,” said NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. “You listen to the mock drafts and Mason Graham at some point was the popular pick at No. 5, then you start to hear other things, maybe it’s going to be offense...maybe that’s Ashton Jeanty, maybe Tetairoa McMillan.”
From Path to the Draft: The #Jaguars at No. 5 won’t be timid. They’ll be bold. Could they move up into the Top 2? I weigh in on the possibility with @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/xVLLL010es
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2025
He continued to state that he believes the Jags are looking to be aggressive and “bold” in the process, which could even include making a leap to the second pick in the draft to select Heisman winner and standout two-way player Travis Hunter.
Fellow NFL Insider Tom Pelissero threw some water on Rapoport’s flames, saying that Cleveland is highly unlikely to trade their pick, but added that the right haul of picks and players may be able to get it done.
“There are not many picks in this league that don’t have a price,” Pelissero said. “Is there some type of Godfather offer involving maybe a player, involving multiple first-round picks, whatever it might be that actually makes them think about it?...Stay tuned to see if there’s something that maybe the Jaguars or somebody else can put in front of them to at least make them consider it.”
ESPN’s Field Yates’ mock draft doesn’t have the Jaguars being that aggressive, but it does reiterate a popular notion that’s been floating around the rumor mill for the past couple of days: The Jaguars are looking to draft Boise State running back, and Jacksonville native, Ashton Jeanty.
“New Jaguars GM James Gladstone has used the phrase ‘intangibly rich’ during the predraft process,” Yates writes. “Jeanty fits that description as a top-five prospect with rare contact balance, power and explosion.”
Yates adds that his personal preference would be for the team to go with a defensive player, a sensible decision considering the team’s total defense ranked next-to-last in the 2024-2025 season. However, he believes new head coach Liam Coen’s desire to give Trevor Lawrence more playmakers will ultimately reign supreme.
And Jags fans seem to agree with Coen’s assessment.
When asked by News4JAX who they would like to see the team select with their first-round pick, Jeanty was the overwhelming favorite.
“Ashton Jeanty. BRING THE JAX NATIVE HOMEEEEE,” wrote one News4JAX reader.
“Take Jeanty, if available,” wrote another.
“Jeanty..Etienne never took off and needs to go. This will take some pressure off Lawrence,” another one added.
With the emergence of Brian Thomas Jr last season, adding a top-flight offensive prospect like Ashton Jeanty or Travis Hunter would boost an offense that team owner Shad Khan called “the most predictable” in the league.
That, coupled with a litany of picks on the second and third day of the draft, could allow the team to be more aggressive with its first-round pick, as Rapoport and Yates suggest, and use the others to fill other team needs, including offensive line, defensive line, and the secondary.
DraftKings currently has Jeanty as the betting favorite to be selected with the No. 5 pick (-250), followed by Mason Graham (+350), McMillan (+600), and a tie between Jalon Walker, Armand Membou, and Kelvin Banks Jr. (-2000).
