Conventional wisdom suggests the 2025 NFL Draft intrigue will start at the No. 5 pick.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are picking fifth and have a dominant defense and franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. Most mock drafts have Jacksonville adding to its impressive front four by picking Mason Graham from the University of Michigan — after Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter and Will Campbell go with picks No. 1-4.
But don’t write Graham’s name to Jacksonville in pen, says ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“New GM James Gladstone — who has 10 picks to work with, including four in the top 90 — might not be that predictable,” Schefter wrote on ESPN.com Monday. “As one league executive said recently: ‘Jacksonville is a wild card — watch.'”
The Jaguars Will Make a Top-5 Selection in the NFL Draft for the First Time Since 2022
Stacy Revere/GettyJacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone.
This will be Jacksonville’s first top-five selection since it chose Travon Walker with the first pick in 2022. The Jaguars spent their first-round pick on a wide receiver last year, in Pro Bowler and fledgling star wideout Brian Thomas, but Schefter hinted that first-year coach Liam Coen may fight hard to make a wideout his first-ever selection as a head coach.
“Jaguars coach Liam Coen has long had a soft spot for wide receivers in the draft, and the top-rated wideout in this class, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, has drawn comparisons to … the Bucs’ Mike Evans,” Schefter wrote. “Some have questions McMillan’s passion for football, but others suggest he is misunderstood and that, when he’s on a football field, ‘he’s an absolute baller.'”
Adding a star-caliber receiver to join Thomas and bolster Lawrence’s arsenal would be a smart decision, especially since Jacksonville parted ways with both Christian Kirk (Texans) and Evan Engram (Broncos) in the off-season.
Lawrence has regressed in each of the past two seasons — a consequence of Jacksonville’s startling lack of weaponry on the offensive side of the ball. Plus, Lawrence played only 10 games as a concussion and shoulder injury swapped his ability to stay on the field.
Arizona’s McMillan Secured 8 Touchdowns in His Last 3 Seasons
Chris Coduto/GettyWide receiver Tetairoa McMillan of the Arizona Wildcats warms up before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Arizona Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Tucson, Arizona.
McMillan is listed at 6-5, 212 pounds and had at least eight touchdowns in each of his three seasons at Arizona. He posted consecutive 80-plus-catch 1,300-plus-yard campaigns — 90 catches for 1,402 yards in 2023 and 10 TDs and 84 catches for 1,319 yards and eight scores in 2024 — despite playing in an offense that was just seventh in the Big 12 in passing-yards per game (247.9) last year.
Still, him going at No. 5 would be considered a significant reach for Jacksonville, especially since it has many other glaring needs to consider. McMillan was ranked as the No. 20 prospect by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr, who had the Broncos selecting him with the 20th pick in Kiper’s most recent mock draft.
With 10 picks, including two third-round picks, two fourth-round picks and two sixth-round selections, Jacksonville could select Graham then use its robust draft capital to trade back into the first round and choose McMillan. Or it could take its chances and see if he falls to them with the 36th pick.
McMillan is hardly the only wide-receiver prospect in the draft too though, since Matthew Golden of Texas and Emeka Egbuka of Ohio State also are first-round caliber prospects. But if Coen, who came to Jacksonville after serving as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, loves McMillan, the Jags could prioritize the ball-hungry receiver over his peers.
“Coen, who coached Evans last year, knows how valuable a player like that can be to an offense,” Schefter wrot
Jaguars Could Make Bold Move With First Round Pick: Insider