The Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the more disappointing teams in 2024, finishing 4-13 and letting go of their head coach and eventually their general manager. Franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence regressed and only played in 10 games, missing the last five after a brutal hit to the head.
Media members release multiple mock drafts at this time of year. The Ringer NFL Analyst Todd McShay recently released his first version, which shows the Jaguars upgrading Lawrence’s offensive weapons.
Todd McShay Says Jacksonville Will Take Big-Name Tight End Early In First Round
Outside of rookie phenom Brian Thomas Jr., the Jacksonville offense was abysmal in 2024, ranking No. 18 in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Thomas Jr. had 87 receptions, 1,282 yards, and 10 touchdowns, but not much else worked for the Jaguars.
In his 10 games, Lawrence threw for 2,045 yards, 11 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, putting him at No. 31 in PFSN’s QB+ metric. His backup, Mac Jones, finished at No. 25, so that’s not what Jacksonville’s management hoped for after signing Lawrence to a massive five-year, $275 million extension last offseason.
Second-year running back Tank Bigsby was another bright spot, but the rest of the offense was putrid with tight end Brenton Strange being the second-leading receiver with 411 yards.
Things need to change for Jacksonville and new head coach Liam Coen. Lawrence has been on record trying to recruit his former Clemson teammate Tee Higgins, but McShay thinks the tight end room is the place to start. He has them taking Penn State tight end Tyler Warren at No. 5 in his first mock draft.
He wrote, “Liam Coen was hired as the Jaguars’ head coach in large part for his proven ability to develop quarterbacks, and in Jacksonville, he’ll be tasked with bringing the best out of Trevor Lawrence. To do that, he’ll need help from the Jaguars’ new general manager (the search is underway after the recent hiring of Tony Boselli as the team’s executive vice president of football operations), whose first priority should be improving Lawrence’s supporting cast on offense.
“What better place to start than by selecting Warren, the top pass catching threat in the 2025 draft class not named Travis Hunter? Warren is a uniquely gifted athlete at 6-foot-6 and 261 pounds.
“He’s a quarterback’s dream with his combination of fluid movement skills, an imposing block-out frame, run-after-catch ability, and reliable hands (his drop rate of 2.8 percent last season was outstanding given the high volume of traffic he faced on his receptions). He’s also an effective (albeit not consistently overwhelming) blocker, giving Coen multiplicity in his formations and play designs.”
Warren became the focal point of Penn State’s offense en route to the College Football Playoff Semifinal. In his final year, he had 104 receptions, 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. He also added 26 carries for 218 yards and four rushing scores, so he has experience as a versatile offensive player.
McShay continued, “On paper, the Jaguars don’t currently have a need at tight end, but I’m hearing that Evan Engram — who’s on the last year of his contract — could be a cap casualty this offseason. In that scenario, Warren would be a cheap long-term answer at the position.”
Cutting Engram would save the Jaguars just under $6 million in cap space so the writing could be on the wall for the vet tight end. No. 5 is the highest Warren has been projected to go during the mock draft season. PFSN’s Justin Lewis has him going to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 14 with the Jaguars taking Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5.
In many mocks, Warren has been projected in the early-teens area, but McShay thinks he’s a good fit in Jacksonville. The tight end will get his chance to impress NFL teams at the Combine, but he’ll have to wait a few months to see when he’ll be drafted.