3 Observations on the Jaguars Drafting Ole Miss RB Snoop Conner

Was Snoop Conner the right selection for the Jaguars in the fifth round?

The Jacksonville Jaguars were always in the market for a running back on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft, and they find their target quickly in fifth-round running back Snoop Conner, who they traded up to No. 154 to select.

"I think for Snoop, it’s just a matter of him coming in and competing. It gives us another opportunity to look at him and fit into that room and really compete and see where he’s at," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said.

Conner played in a rotational role at Ole Miss, appearing in 35 games but starting two over the last three years. He rushed 304 times for 1,580 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and 26 touchdowns, along with 32 catches for 225 yards. According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, 19 of his 26 career rushing touchdowns coming from five yards or less, including 14 one-yard runs. 

Conner is the only skill player the Jaguars added in the 2022 NFL Draft, but was he a solid selection? We break it down below. 

Conner fits the profile of the type of running back the Jaguars were looking into all offseason

The Jaguars were clearly going to add a No. 3 running back at some point during the 2022 NFL Draft. The question was always going to be when they would do so, but the fifth round always seemed like the sweet spot considering the Jaguars' needs elsewhere. And the exact running back the Jaguars were expected to add was a big, tough-nosed, physical runner who could get short-yardage gains and fill in for James Robinson as he recovers. In short, the Jaguars wanted a similar version of Robinson.

The Jaguars got that in Conner. His tape shows a strong and balanced runner who embraces contact and can break tackles as a result, even if he isn't the most explosive or dynamic ball-carrier. Conner doesn't look like a running back one, but he truly does check every box the Jaguars were looking for in a Day 3 running back this year. He is best as a No. 3 back, but he is the type of No. 3 the Jaguars needed.

The process the Jaguars used to select Conner was a peculiar one

The Jaguars process toward actually selecting Conner was, well, and odd one.  The Jaguars had the No. 157 overall pick but an offer on the table from Tampa, sending that pick and the No. 235 pick to Tampa Bay for a 2023 fourth-round pick. The Jaguars then sent two sixth-round picks (No. 188 overall and No. 198 overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, moving up over 30 selections to pick the running back.

“If you followed that scenario, we were picking at 157 and Tampa Bay had called us about trading and we were going to use that pick to take Snoop," Baalke said. "When we had that on the table Tampa to come up, we packaged two sixes to move ahead of that pick so that we could make the pick of the running back that we wanted and next pick up the fourth for next year, so that’s kind of how that unfolded.”

In short, the Jaguars were going to take Conner at No. 157 but found a way to move back. They wanted Conner so badly though that they then invested additional picks. This led to two trades, with the Jaguars sending a fifth-round pick, two sixth-round picks and a seventh-round pick for Conner and a future fourth, which will likely be a late fourth-round pick.

Four running backs were taken between Conner's selection and pick No. 188, so there is no guarantee that Conner would have been there. But moving up for a running back on Day 3 seems like a move that simply isn't going to work out more often than not, and the Jaguars paid a notable price to make it happen.

Can Conner be more than a short-yardage back?

Can Conner outplay the archetype of a short-yardage back that has seemingly been tagged to him? The Jaguars seem to think so, especially Pederson. And the Jaguars are going to need Conner to be more than that, especially early in the season as James Robinson is still getting back to 100%.

"It does depend on where James [Robinson] is obviously going into training camp and into the regular season and obviously Travis [Etienne Jr.] as well. But this gives up depth at that position, gives us a little competition there and we’re excited to get him here and get him going. I don’t think he’s just strictly a short yardage back. I don’t think that with him at all," Pederson said. 

The tape doesn't show that Conner is strictly a short-yardage back; he did his most impactful work near the goal-line due to his role in the offense, but he also flashed the ability to be a lead back who can run with tempo and help and offense in between the 20s. Conner lacks the long speed to be a home run threat, but he does have the traits to at least play on third-down and not be limited to goal-line runs.