2023 NFL Draft: Jaguars Attempted To Trade Back Into the 3rd Round

The Jaguars had their eyes on drafting a second player in the third round on Friday night.

The Jacksonville Jaguars picked two players during Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday night, but they didn't want to stop there.

"That's why we're late coming in here," Jaguars general Trent Baalke said after he and head coach Doug Pederson entered the team's meeting room following the conclusion of the third round."

"We tried to get back into the third round again. It didn't work."

The Jaguars found willing trade partners three times in the first 56 picks of the draft, trading down from No. 24 to No. 25 and then No. 27, and then trading down from No. 56 to No. 61. But after selecting Penn State tight end Brenton Strange at No. 61 and Auburn running back Tank Bigsby at No. 88, the Jaguars had their eyes on another player. 

"We got a lot of picks. Again, it takes two. We talked about a few scenarios. Coach and I are sitting in there and we're looking at the board, we're looking at opportunities and stuff," Baalke said. 

"You try. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you don't make a move and you kick yourself that maybe you should have. That's all part of the game. But again, we came out of this day with two really good football players. We feel good about the day. Now it's about attacking tomorrow."

The Jaguars noticeably haven't selected a defensive player with any of their first three picks. With big needs at edge rusher and cornerback, it is likely fair to wonder if the Jaguars and Baalke had their sights set on one of the two positions as the clock winded down on Friday night.

"Well, the board fell the way it fell. When you're picking where we're picking, there's a lot of good players that are going to go off the board. You try to make some trades at times to do some things. It takes two to tango," Baalke said.  

"Sometimes you can make a move, sometimes you can't. At the end of the day we stayed true to the board. Feel really good about the value we got. We got two really good football players at key positions that add a lot of depth and versatility to what we want to do offensively. Let's get into day three and see what that has in store for us."