The Jacksonville Jaguars need a new No. 1 receiver.
While imperfect, former wide receiver Calvin Ridley brought an element to the Jaguars’ offense that no other receiver in Jacksonville has since arguably Jimmy Smith. An element that Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Gabe Davis, while all talented, do not bring.
Now, the Jaguars will have to see Ridley operate as a Tennessee Titan. They will see him twice a year for the foreseeable future, and they are starting over in the receiver room.
The Jaguars could move forward with their current receiver room, which is set to rank in the top-5 in terms of spending in 2024.
As of today, the current Jaguars receivers rostered are Kirk, Jones, Davis, veteran Devin Duvernay, second-year receiver Parker Washington, second-year wide receiver Elijah Cooks, and journeymen like Seth Williams, Jaylon Moore, Jacob Harris, and Tim Jones. Tight end Evan Engram is used like a receiver, so he could factor into this equation as well.
Or the Jaguars could look toward two other avenues to find a true No. 1. One path would be to trade for a ready-made star who is looking for a new contract, such as Tee Higgins or Brandon Aiyuk.
Or the Jaguars could do what they haven’t done since 2012: draft a receiver in the first round.
Sitting at No. 17 overall, the likely options for the Jaguars at their current pick would be LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. or Texas’ Adonai Mitchell. Both are high-ceiling prospects with the physical traits to grow into No. 1 wide outs, but both also carry their own red flags.
The Jaguars could also look to move up for one of this year’s “Big Three”: Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers, and Washington’s Rome Odunze.
Reading the tea leaves of draft reports thus far this year, it seems like Odunze is the most likely receiver of the three to be drafted near No. 10 overall. And of Odunze does indeed fall to the Chicago Bears at No. 9 or the New York Jets at No. 10, the Jaguars could be enticed to make a Chris Olave-like trade-up for the star.
For a Jaguars team that has spent only seven top-100 picks on wide receivers since 2005, it is clear the Jaguars need to do what other teams are doing. They need to throw more darts at the position. They haven’t done so under general manager Trent Baalke, taking only two receivers in three drafts and with each being a sixth-round selection.
If the Jaguars truly want to find a No. 1 receiver this offseason, they will need to take a swing. The kind of swing they have rarely taken in past years.
There is no No. 1 on their roster today. The closest thing they have had to one is now a Tennessee Titan. And if the Jaguars want to enter 2024 with a bonafide alpha and not just a room of solid players who they can spread the ball around with, then they need to make moves now.
