One of the hardest predictions to make heading into the 2013 draft is what the Jaguars will do with the second overall pick.
New Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell has expressed a preference to draft for need and the Jaguars have plenty of them to fill later this month. They could take a tackle, an edge rusher, a cornerback or a quarterback with their first selection and wind up filling a need on a roster with several holes. Caldwell told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that he’s not going to tip his hand at all in the weeks leading up to the draft, a point he hammered home by saying that the Jags are both willing to use their pick and trade it to another team.
“We’re ready to pick,” Caldwell said. “So, we know that there’s 1-2 players there that we really like, so we feel good about that. But we’re open to all options on that aspect, too.”
Trading down always seems like a good option, but you need a player to be available at your spot that other teams are clamoring for to make it happen. The best case scenario for the Jaguars might be for robust interest in West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith to develop in the next couple of weeks so that a team is willing to vault into the second spot to assure themselves a chance to grab him.
Of course, the Jags might be interested in grabbing Smith for themselves, so Caldwell’s plan to disguise his team’s intentions seems to be one he’ll pull off without much difficulty.