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NFL Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars to select fifth overall, likely seeking help in secondary
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- NFL Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars to select fifth overall, likely seeking help in secondary
We now know where the Jacksonville Jaguars will be picking in the 2025 NFL Draft after the team finished the season 4-13 after a 26-23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts in their season finale.
The Jaguars will be picking fifth overall in the draft.
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The Jaguars have fluctuated throughout the past several weeks from the first-overall to the seventh-overall pick in the upcoming draft.
This year marks Jacksonville's 20th time picking in the top 10 out of 35 first-rounders chosen in team history. It also marks the third time in five draft classes that general manager Trent Baalke's team finished with a top-10 selection.
Have the Jaguars selected fifth overall in the NFL Draft before?
Yes, the Jaguars have selected fifth overall twice in their 30-year history.
The Jaguars first drafted fifth overall during the 2012 NFL Draft. They traded up from pick No. 7 to No. 5 to select former Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon. The Jaguars traded Nos. 7 and 101 overall for the fifth-overall pick with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to make it happen.
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Blackmon fell just as quickly as he rose in the NFL with Jacksonville.
In his rookie season, the wideout caught 64 passes for 865 yards and five touchdowns. Blackmon went on to play just four more games in the NFL after that, though, falling victim to substance abuse issues that forced him out of the league through multiple suspensions until he was permanently exiled from the league in 2014.
In his career, Blackmon caught 93 passes for 1,280 yards and six touchdowns. He caught four passes for 31 yards in his final game in the NFL, Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers in 2013.
Blackmon held the franchise rookie receiving record for yards, but that was surpassed by Brian Thomas Jr. earlier this season.
Jacksonville's second attempt at a fifth-overall pick turned out far better, but only for slightly longer after the team selected former Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey in 2016.
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Ramsey immediately solidified himself as the team's top defender when he stepped onto the field in his rookie season in 2016. He posted two interceptions, including a touchdown, 14 pass breakups, a forced fumble and 65 total tackles through 16 games in 2016. He received 10 votes for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year behind San Diego Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa .
Ramsey continued to ascend into the upper echelon of defenders in the league the following year when he earned first-team All-Pro honors and helped Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship game.
However, the star cornerback would play just 51 total games for Jacksonville, traded halfway through the 2019 season after he became disgruntled following an argument during and after the team's Week 2 game against the Houston Texans that year. He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6 in exchange for two first-round picks (2020 and 2021) and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
Ramsey is now with the Miami Dolphins in his ninth season in the NFL.
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Ramsey has played in 131 games (130 starts), accounting for 106 pass breakups, 24 interceptions, six forced fumbles and 523 total tackles. He is a likely Hall of Fame player when he hangs up the cleats.
2025 NFL Draft order: Jaguars set to select fifth 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.
Here is the 2025 NFL Draft order, according to Tankathon.com :
| Pick |
Team |
Record |
SOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
3-14 |
0.522 |
|
| 2 |
3-14 |
0.536 |
|
| 3 |
3-14 |
0.554 |
|
| 4 |
4-13 |
0.471 |
|
| 5 |
Jacksonville |
4-13 |
0.478 |
| 6 |
4-13 |
0.540 |
|
| 7 |
5-12 |
0.495 |
|
| 8 |
5-12 |
0.498 |
|
| 9 |
5-12 |
0.505 |
|
| 10 |
5-12 |
0.554 |
|
| 11 |
6-11 |
0.564 |
|
| 12 |
7-10 |
0.522 |
|
| 13 |
Miami |
8-9 |
0.419 |
| 14 |
Indianapolis |
8-9 |
0.457 |
| 15 |
8-9 |
0.519 |
|
| 16 |
8-9 |
0.536 |
|
| 17 |
9-8 |
0.478 |
|
| 18 |
10-7 |
0.498 |
|
| 19 |
Houston |
10-7 |
0.481 |
| 20 |
10-7 |
0.502 |
|
| 21 |
10-7 |
0.502 |
|
| 22 |
10-7 |
0.502 |
|
| 23 |
LA Rams |
10-7 |
0.505 |
| 24 |
Green Bay |
11-6 |
0.533 |
| 25 |
11-6 |
0.467 |
|
| 26 |
Washington |
12-5 |
0.436 |
| 27 |
12-5 |
0.529 |
|
| 28 |
14-3 |
0.474 |
|
| 29 |
Buffalo |
13-4 |
0.467 |
| 30 |
14-3 |
0.453 |
|
| 31 |
15-2 |
0.488 |
|
| 32 |
15-2 |
0.516 |
Current 2025 NFL Draft order per Tankathon.com
2025 NFL Draft mock: Jaguars need defense, possibly another receiver
Michigan defensive back Will Johnson (2) celebrates after returning an interception for a touchdown against Fresno State during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
The Jaguars' draft needs haven't really changed over the past several weeks.
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The Jaguars most likely will look for the best defensive player available.
Two of those players can be found on Michigan's roster.
The Jaguars could go after top defensive lineman Mason Graham of Michigan .
The 6-foot-3, 320-pound Graham posted 45 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as a junior for the Wolverines. Graham has been the team's consistently best defender over the last two seasons.
In his collegiate career, Graham has posted 60 solo tackles, nine sacks, three pass breakups and one forced fumble through 39 games. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023 and 2024.
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If the Jaguars decide they don't want Graham, or if he's picked before they go, they could opt to take cornerback Will Johnson, also from Michigan . The Jaguars' pass defense has been among the worst is in the league in 2024.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Johnson is considered by some to be the best prospect in this draft class. He was limited to just six games in 2024 because of a turf toe issue, which made him miss the second half of the season, but he has nine interceptions in his three years at Michigan.
There's a good chance one — or both — of those players will be there given the Giants and Browns , and possibly the Titans, could take a quarterback, likely Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders .
The Titans could select Heisman winner Travis Hunter , and if they don't, New England would likely scoop him up unless Tennessee trades the pick away.
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If the Jags decide not to go defense, they could take a top wide receiver.
After landing a gem in Thomas last year, the Jaguars could go back in the receiver well and take standout Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan .
McMillan, 6-foot-5, 212 pounds, is one of the top receivers entering this year's draft. In three years at Arizona, McMillan caught 213 passes for 3,423 yards (16.1 yards per catch) and 26 touchdowns.
He posted his back-to-back stellar seasons and led his conference this year with 1,319 yards in 12 games. He posted 1,402 yards last year including the bowl game.
Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) against the Colorado Buffalos at Arizona Stadium in Tucson on Oct 19, 2024.
The Jaguars find themselves in an interesting position at receiver. While they signed Gabe Davis last year, he was a disappointment with just 20 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns this year and didn't appear healthy all season. His dependability is in question and acquiring another wideout as a safeguard should be a priority.
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The same logic applies to Christian Kirk , who is set to enter the last year of his four-year deal signed in 2022.
Kirk played in just eight games this year before going down with a broken collarbone injury. He caught 27 passes for 379 yards and one touchdown. He is a candidate to be traded or released ahead of the season.
Enter McMillan, who would immediately slot in as a starter opposite Thomas. The pairing will give Lawrence a true go-up-and-get-it player who will make a big difference in the red zone.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 2025 NFL Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars land the fifth overall selection
