REPORT: Early Mock Draft Has Jaguars Filling Huge Need

The Jacksonville Jaguars need help in the secondary. A recent mock draft projects the Jaguars to select a talented Georgia defensive back.

wOct 28, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Malaki Starks (24) against the Florida Gators during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled in many areas to start the 2024 season. Perhaps the unit of most concern is the offensive line. The secondary is a close second.

Cornerback might be the weakest position group the Jaguars have, and thinnest, safety is not much better. Still, protecting the quarterback should be the top priority for the Jaguars.

One mock draft doesn't think so.

Andre Cisco is struggling and so is Antonio Johnson. Both might not turn out to be viable long-term options, and outside of free agency, the best way to infuse life into a position room is the NFL Draft. A recent mock draft from The 33rd Team's Ian Valentino has the Jaguars selecting No. 16.

With the 16th pick, Valentino projects they will draft uber-talented safety Malaki Starks out of Georgia.

"With a seemingly limitless range as a deep presence, the fluidity to hold his own in man coverage, and a hard-hitting nature, Malaki Starks has been a difference-maker from Day 1 at Georgia," Valentino wrote. "Safeties are rarely taken in the top 10, but Starks can go much higher than this. The Jaguars have been lacking a dynamic presence like this in the back-end of the unit for too long."

Kyle Crabbs, another football mind from The 33rd Team, did a deep dive into Starks' games. There is a lot to like about Starks' ability.

"Starks tackles well -- he's got a career missed tackle rate below 6.5 percent across 1,300 career defensive snaps. He's got alignment versatility and an endless number of ways to contribute," Crabbs wrote. "He's posted between 275 and 350 career snaps in the box as a second-level defender and in the nickel to go along with the other 50 percent of his defensive snaps, which have come as a high safety. And Starks's plays come in many ways against the pass, too. He'll carry fades from the slot like on Saturday against Clemson (or against Oregon back in 2022 and Tennessee in 2023). Or he can rotate into single high and track throws up the sideline like he did against Ball State last season.

"Are you looking for a bit more of a complex assignment? Starks nabbed a fourth down interception last year against Auburn in match coverage by relating to a vertical stem before plastering a different receiver as the routes swapped down the field before Starks drifted to step in front of a pass to the new No. 2 receiver."

The offensive line should be a top priority, as it has been among the key reasons for the Jaguars' offensive woes. Drafting a safety, even one as talented as Starks, could be a mistake.

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