2023 NFL Draft: Who Do Jaguars Land at No. 5 During In-Season Mock?

In our first mock of the 2023 process, we give the Jaguars a disruptive interior force to slide next to Travon Walker.

There are still 161 days and seven regular-season games left for the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2023 NFL Draft takes place, but that doesn't mean it is too early to look ahead.

While the Jaguars once looked like they were firmly on their way toward erasing the yearly tradition of November mock drafts, the last month-and-a-half has derailed their season and put them in a 3-7 hole entering their Week 11 bye.

"The biggest thing is how you look at it, like I am saying here. It was missed opportunities," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Sunday after the Jaguars' 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. "When you play great football teams, and the Chiefs are one of those great football teams who are well coached, you have to capitalize. I know they pride themselves of taking care of the football. When you can create those opportunities as a team, we have got to take advantage of that and we did not do that as a football team today. 

"That is really the message. I will say this, it is not for lack of effort or anything like that at all. We have played ten straight weeks now. The team needs a break at this time. It is a good time for it to kind of step away. I told them to kind of regroup and really think about the first ten, but more importantly, I want them to think of the next third of this season and really focus on that. I believe that our goals are still in front of us. We made it a little bit harder today, but I think if we continue to improve, anything is possible moving forward.”

So with the Jaguars' 2022 season turning into what looks like another eventual top-10 pick, it is only right to take a quick look ahead at how they could turn their roster around next offseason.

As such, here is our first Jaguars' first-round mock of the regular season. We used Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator to set up the No. 5 pick, for those with complaints about the order. 

Related: Jaguars Hold No. 5 Pick After Week 10

Without further ado, here is how the simulator mocked the top-10 and where we went with the Jaguars' No. 5 overall pick.

No. 1, Houston Texans: QB C.J. Stroud

No. 2, Las Vegas Raiders: QB Bryce Young

No. 3, Carolina Panthers: EDGE Will Anderson

No. 4, Philadelphia Eagles: EDGE Myles Murphy 

No. 5, Jacksonville Jaguars: IDL Jalen Carter

No. 6, Chicago Bears: OT Paris Johnson Jr.,

No. 7, Seattle Seahawks: CB Kelee Ringo

No. 8, Detroit Lions: QB Will Levis

No. 9, Atlanta Falcons: RB Bijan Robinson

No, 10 Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Jordan Addison

There are a few surprises in there, such as a running back in the top-10, C.J. Stroud at No. 1 and just two receivers/defensive backs. With that said, the top-3 at the very least seems like the right players, no matter the order. Where the real question would begin is with the Eagles at No. 4 overall. 

The Eagles have the NFL's best record and, as a result, don't have a ton of glaring needs. They could look to add to their pass-rush or interior defensive line depth. Jalen Carter could make sense for them there, but they did take a first-round defensive tackle last year.

That leaves the Jaguars with a few options at No. 5, though I believe the two best options are both Georgia Bulldogs (again).

Kelee Ringo is an interesting scenario. He is a potentially elite cornerback prospect, and there is a good argument the Jaguars' greatest need in 2023 is going to be the cornerback position opposite Tyson Campbell. The Jaguars have played four different players at that spot in 2022, so they are clearly out of internal options. 

Carter, meanwhile, could be the interior playmaker the Jaguars have been missing since Malik Jackson and Calais Campbell. He doesn't have gaudy pass-rush numbers, but he is a consistent disruptor for Georgia and was the best member of their elite line in 2021 -- a line that had three first-round picks on it.

With Roy Robertson-Harris likely a cap casualty and Dawuane Smoot and Arden Key in contract years, the Jaguars need to improve their interior pass-rush badly in 2023. Carter is how they can do it.