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NFL Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars hold top pick after Week 11; would be third in five years
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- NFL Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars hold top pick after Week 11; would be third in five years
Now at 2-9 after an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions , the Jacksonville Jaguars have gained an even stronger hold on the first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft . With the season all but over for Jacksonville with a non-zero chance of making the postseason, it's time to turn the page to the next chapter.
The Jaguars are in a state of flux. Though the team has not let go of either head coach Doug Pederson or general manager Trent Baalke as of this posting, it shouldn't be assumed they'll be retained to make the selection.
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Baalke predicted his likely fate during the 2022 pre-draft media luncheon.
"I'm pretty confident that this will be the last time that I'll be making the first pick," Baalke said on April 22, 2022.
The insinuation is that Baalke won't be around — whether due to the relative success of the team or his termination or if he retires — to make the selection.
Well, as it stands today, Baalke is slated to select first overall. Whether his prediction comes true or not remains to be seen.
Let's take a look at the team's NFL Draft history and what the future could hold.
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Have the Jaguars selected first overall in the NFL Draft before?
Apr 29, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (left) and Trevor Lawrence react after Lawrence's selection as the the No. 1 pick by the Jaguars during the 2021 NFL Draft at First Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Yes, the Jaguars have picked first overall in the NFL Draft twice in the franchise's 30-year history. The team drafted first overall in back-to-back years, 2021-22.
The franchise's 2021 first-overall pick, quarterback Trevor Lawrence , struggled his season before turning things around in the ensuing weeks. Lawrence completed just 53.28% of his passes for 729 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He held a passer rating of 78.9.
In the following five weeks, Lawrence completed 67.76% of his passes for 1,275 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions with a passer rating of 95.1. He scored five rushing touchdowns in that time while losing one fumble.
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In his career, Lawrence has completed 63.4% of his passes for 13,774 yards, 69 touchdowns, 45 interceptions and 22 lost fumbles through 59 games.
Jacksonville Jaguars first round draft pick Travon Walker, center, is flanked by his father and mother, Stead Walker and Lasonia Walker, respectively, as he holds up his new jersey during a press conference Friday, April 29, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. Walker, a defensive lineman from the University of Georgia, was the overall No. 1 pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL Draft.
In 2022, the Jaguars picked defensive lineman Travon Walker first overall. Walker has impressed this season after a breakout year in 2023 that included 10 sacks.
This year, Walker started the season hot with two sacks in the team's Week 1 loss against the Miami Dolphins . He slowed down, not tallying a sack in the ensuing three games but exploded in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts with three sacks.
Since then, Walker has accounted for 2.5 sacks, bringing his team-lead total this year to 7.5 on the season.
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Walker is tied for fifth in the NFL in sacks with Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson . Hutchinson has played just five games this year due to suffering a broken leg in Week 5. Hutchinson was drafted just after Walker, picked second overall that year.
In his career, Walker has accounted for 21 sacks, 70 solo tackles and two forced fumbles through 42 games.
2025 NFL Draft order: Jaguars set to select first overall in Green Bay
The 2025 NFL Draft is slated to be held around Lambeau Field in the Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin on April 24-26.
After Week 10, the Jaguars hold the first overall pick.
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Here is the current 2025 NFL Draft order, according to Tankathon.com :
| Pick |
Team |
Record |
SOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
2-9 |
0.486 |
|
| 2 |
2-8 |
0.508 |
|
| 3 |
2-8 |
0.52 |
|
| 4 |
2-8 |
0.525 |
|
| 5 |
2-8 |
0.526 |
|
| 6 |
3-8 |
0.469 |
|
| 7 |
3-8 |
0.508 |
|
| 8 |
3-7 |
0.489 |
|
| 9 |
3-6 |
0.523 |
|
| 10 |
4-7 |
0.486 |
|
| 11 |
4-7 |
0.494 |
|
| 12 |
Miami Dolphins |
4-6 |
0.433 |
| 13 |
4-6 |
0.517 |
|
| 14 |
4-6 |
0.557 |
|
| 15 |
Indianapolis Colts |
5-6 |
0.472 |
| 16 |
5-5 |
0.531 |
|
| 17 |
5-5 |
0.534 |
|
| 18 |
5-5 |
0.552 |
|
| 19 |
6-5 |
0.494 |
|
| 20 |
6-5 |
0.503 |
|
| 21 |
6-4 |
0.475 |
|
| 22 |
6-4 |
0.54 |
|
| 23 |
7-4 |
0.442 |
|
| 24 |
7-4 |
0.523 |
|
| 25 |
7-3 |
0.469 |
|
| 26 |
7-3 |
0.543 |
|
| 27 |
8-2 |
0.472 |
|
| 28 |
8-2 |
0.5 |
|
| 29 |
8-2 |
0.434 |
|
| 30 |
8-2 |
0.458 |
|
| 31 |
9-1 |
0.497 |
|
| 32 |
Detroit Lions |
9-1 |
0.523 |
2025 NFL Draft order as of 11/19/2024
The NFL Draft order is determined first by overall record and tiebreakers. The first tiebreaker used is strength of schedule, and then it gets more complicated. The Jaguars and Giants currently have the same strength of schedule. Non-conference tie-break procedures include winning percentages in common games with a minimum of four common opponents and strength of victory.
2025 NFL Draft mock: Jaguars select Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr.
Oct 26, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. (78) against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
The Jaguars have multiple needs in this year's draft. We slotted Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter in our last installment. Hunter is worthy and could be the first defensive back picked No. 1 since former Pittsburgh Steelers and Colorado A&M defensive back Gary Glick in 1956. It's essentially never happened.
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If you like him more as a receiver, there's a bit of better history.
In 1996, the New York Jets selected former USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
But in this case, we went with Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., projected as one of the top tackles in this year's draft.
Banks, 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, ranks third among tackles within the 2025 and 2026 draft classes in pass blocking with a grade of 88.7. He's allowed seven pressures through 375 pass-blocking reps. The two players ahead of him — Navy tackle Connor McMahon and Georgia Tech tackle Corey Robinson II — have 168 and 226 pass-blocking reps this season, by comparison.
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The true junior would solidify Jacksonville's need at left tackle. The Jaguars traded starting left tackle Cam Robinson to the Minnesota Vikings just ahead of the NFL trade deadline and have to decide if they want to retain new starting tackle Walker Little after the season when he is slated to become a free agent.
Thus far, Little hasn't risen above to give the franchise a reason to pay him a fully guaranteed $25 million franchise tag, nor pay him the roughly $15 million per season price for a short-term, average deal.
The Jaguars must address the offensive line in this year's draft to have any success moving forward and the first-overall pick is likely the path to start it.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @Demetrius.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: NFL Draft: Kelvin Banks Jr. ideal for Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1
