I promised many of you that the final “Mia’s Mock Draft Monday” would feature running back Ashton Jeanty. I promise others that it would feature an offensive lineman like Armand Membou or Will Campbell.
But I’m doubling down.
In 5 years of doing this, I’ve never used the same player in two Mock Drafts. But from what I’ve been told from both the folks in Ann Arbor and in matching with what the Jaguars want to see in the first-ever draft pick under James Gladstone and Liam Coen: Mason Graham checks all the boxes.
Round 1, Pick 5
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
It may not be the pretty, sparkling pick so many want. But you also all clamored for a blue-collar, lunch pail lineman last year. That’s who Mason Graham is.
You can refer to Mia’s Mock Draft Monday 1.0 for my previous write-up. Or try this on for size. Or this. Anyone referring to Graham as “Taven Bryan 2.0” needs to have their head examined. And for those who think the Christian Wilkins-comp is overblown, I had an AFC staffer pitch me an interesting alternative this week: longtime Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams. “The heart and soul” of the Bills defense from 2006 to 2018 made six Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team. Yes, Williams was a fifth-round pick. Yes, those Bills teams weren’t much to cry home about. But if you believe the Jaguars already have building blocks in Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, and Tyson Campbell, among others – and you believe that James Gladstone will continue to add more pieces – then the Mason Graham-led Jaguars could have a different record than those Williams-led Bills.
Round 1, Pick 30
(trade Picks 36 and 107 to the Bills)
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Maybe this one’s a bit more “sparkling” for you.
In case you missed it: head coach Liam Coen referred to the top of this year’s wide receiver class as “maybe not as sparkling” as years past. But added: “there’s some good, sound, solid players at a few different spots, where there’s always some ball-in-hand athletes. Also, a couple of guys that can win 50/50 balls… We feel good about some of the guys a little bit later on that can contribute for us, definitely a position we’d be looking for. ”
Egbuka isn’t the latter, but he’s definitely the former.
While I was surprised to hear from some scouts and staffers around the league this week that they haven’t graded Egbuka out as a first rounder (“Really weak top end of the position pool this year that he’ll benefit from”), the consensus remains that Egbuka has one of the highest floors in this year’s Draft. He doesn’t have the explosive speed or suddenness of an Amon Ra-St. Brown, but, similarly, Egbuka can play inside or outside with competitive spirit and high IQ. As a former outfielder, he can track down deep balls along the perimeter and make acrobatic catches with fluid body control.
Beyond Tet McMillian and Matthew Golden, there’s a tier of wide receivers who will go at some point between Pick 12 and Pick 45. As the Pre-Draft process has gone on and so many have re-watched the tape, they’ve been reminded of Egbuka’s solid production from wire to wire of his collegiate career. Another example of “just a damn good football player… just turn on the tape.”
Round 3, Pick 70
Bradyn Swinson, EDGE, LSU
Bradyn Swinson has the rare distinction of being a fit for both the James Gladstone Jacksonville Jaguars and the Trent Baalke Jacksonville Jaguars. At 6’4’’ 255 lbs with 33 ⅜’’ arms and 9 ¾ inch hands (not to mention the LSU pedigree), he’s Baalke Built with measurables for days. Turn on the tape and Swinson’s growth year-over-year between his time at Oregon and LSU is evident. Swinson truly broke out in 2024 with 13 TFL, 8.5 sacks (22.1% pass-rush win rate, according to PFF), three pass break-up’s and two forced fumbles. He led the SEC with 59 pressures. Most of that production came without a nuanced array of pass-rush moves. Swinson reads, reacts, and gets into the backfield using length and power. That will have to be developed at the next level, which is why he’s a third-round pick.
What’s interesting about this fit: Swinson projects as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive front. The expectation is that the Jaguars defense under Anthony Campanile will be multiple. It took five years, but Swinson looks fluid dropping into coverage. He also excels on stunts. Depending on the look Jacksonville is lined up in, that combination of skills could *finally* free up Travon Walker to kick inside on third-down, at last.
Ultimately, Swinson still has room in his frame to grow and add on muscle. He’d be tasked with being EDGE3 for Jacksonville from Day 1, but with JHA and Travon Walker leading the way, he’d have a nice glide path to grow into the role.
Round 3, Pick 88
Wyatt Milum, OL, West Virginia
As I discussed with ESPN’s Jordan Reid on The Duval Rundown podcast last week, we’ve got to fix the Mock Draft Simulator both with ESPN Analytics and probably some others, too. Because contrary to what these simulators project, Reid believes Milum is a guarantee to go in the third round. Reid also agreed with me that the Jaguars will prioritize selecting offensive linemen with position versatility, given the need for depth along the interior and an unclear, long-term succession plan. Will Ezra Cleveland vacate the left guard position sooner rather than later? Are the two free agents merely “patchwork” fixes for the next two seasons? Are the incumbent tackles the long-term answer? Because of all those questions: both Reid and I agree that the Jaguars will select a player who could fill one or more holes down the line.
Milum was the second true freshman to start along the offensive line at West Virginia in 40 years (his former teammate and Pittsburgh Steelers center Zach Frazier being the other). He started 32 of 36 games he played in over his four year career, starting his freshman year at right tackle before holding down the blind-side for 31 consecutive starts. Much like projected first-rounder Will Campbell – and despite All American honors his senior year – Milum’s 32 ⅛’’ arms have been a sticking point in the Pre-Draft process, with many league personnel believing his measurables and “nasty” translate best to guard at the next level. It probably won’t matter to the former wrestler and baseball player: tell Milum where to play, and he’ll line up ready to punish defenders.
Milum is thick at 6’6’’ 312 lbs, and showcases strong hands in pass-pro while bulldozing opponents in the run game. He did not allow a sack in the last three years and did not allow a quarterback hit in the last two. If the Jaguars are looking to “set the tone” of being a more physical outfit under Gladstone and Coen, Milum is that guy. High IQ and character, too, as a West Virginia native who took a ton of pride in playing for his home state’s flagship university. He’d serve as the ultimate swing lineman his rookie year before taking over for Cleveland at left guard in 2026.
Round 4, Pick 126
Damien Martinez, RB, Miami
The Jaguars have speed and sideline-to-sideline, lateral agility in Travis Etienne Jr. They have a north-to-south, tackle-breaking all-around back in Tank Bigsby.
Enter the bowling ball compliment, Damien Martinez.
This dude always falls forward. Those third-and-short woes? He’ll help resolve them. After averaging 6.1 yards per carry in two years at Oregon State, Martinez upped the average to 6.3 YPC in his lone season in Coral Gables – and that was despite splitting reps with heralded sophomore back Mark Fletcher. Despite being a “bigger back” at 6’0’’ 217 lbs (closer to 230 lbs, a scout told me), Martinez reads holes in congested areas, punching through with power and physicality; again, if that’s the “tone” the Jaguars are trying to set, Martinez fits it. He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash, which passes the test, even if it doesn’t ace it or showcase elite speed.
The same scout noted Martinez’s patience as a runner with “deceivingly quick feet to make defenders miss in space.” He, too, agreed Martinez would be a great contrast to Etienne and spell Bigsby in short-yardage situations. In perusing NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s report on Martinez: Zierlein doesn’t always include quotes from scouts, but this one will tug at Jaguars’ fans’ heart strings..
““I’m old school, so he reminds me of [former Jacksonivlle Jaguars RB] Natrone Means the way he’s got the nice feet but also the size and power.” – AFC regional scout”
Round 5, Pick 142
JJ Pegues, DT, Ole Miss
Short-yardage woes: solved! On both sides of the ball, too.
Pegues began his collegiate career as a tight end at Auburn. Despite moving to defensive line and transferring to Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin ensured Pegues didn’t lose his knack for scoring, using Pegues as a full back on 21 hand-offs in 2024, 18 of which resulted in first-down’s, seven of which resulted in touchdowns. Pegues did an on-field workout as a ball carrier at the NFL Combine, too.
Obviously, that wouldn’t be the reason he’s drafted at Pick 142 – although the versatility is what moves him into the fifth-round. Pegues racked up 14 TFL in 2024 and had 3+ sacks each of his three seasons in Oxford. At 6’2 ½’’ 309 lbs, Pegues is a unit that can rush from anywhere on the front and eat up space. Because of his background as a tight end, he plays with quick hands and has rare sideline-to-sideline speed for someone his size, especially in the backfield.
Pegues was named the Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner prior to the 2024 season. The award is presented annually (as is the late Chucky Mullins’ No. 38 jersey number) to the Rebel who embodies the spirit of Mullins – “courage, leadership, perseverance and determination.” Intangibly rich, much?
And if you’d rather avoid buzzwords and stick to watching tape: check this one out. That’s Pegues lined up at wide-nine opposite three-year starting tackle Emory Jones.
Round 6, Pick 182
Fadill Diggs, EDGE, Syracuse
Because the Jaguars will not conduct Top-30 visits regularly under James Gladstone, Diggs is in a rare group in that there’s been confirmation of communication with the Jaguars. The obvious connection: Anthony Campanile’s brother, Nunzio, is the associate head coach/quarterbacks coach at Syracuse University. And, of course, Campanile and Liam Coen have longtime ties to the Northeast. Diggs only played one season for the Orange, though, after spending four seasons playing for Jimbo Fisher in College Station. As a Camden, NJ, native, it was only a matter of time before Syracuse head coach Fran Brown, who has mined his hometown better than any coach in the country, teamed up with Diggs.
It was a career year in Central New York as Diggs tallied career highs in TFL (14) and sacks (7.5). The 2020 Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year has all the measurables you want in a developmental edge who can play in odd or even fronts: 6’4’’ 257 lbs, with 33 ⅜’’ arms and 10 ⅜’’ hands and a 4.57 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the fastest of any EDGE not named James Pierce Jr. The knock on Diggs is the motor and sense of urgency. I find that interesting considering he was the captain on a team that seemingly shocked the ACC in Brown’s first year, winning 10 games and relishing every minute.
For those keeping score at home: this would be a second EDGE draftee and fourth defensive linemen. James Gladstone did say “rookies,” plural, would be getting on the grass early-and-often back in March when I asked him to evaluate the Jaguars current DT and EDGE rooms in relation to the NFL Draft.
Round 6, Pick 194
Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame
Doesn’t have the same juice or athleticism, but similar to one George Kittle’s Pre-Draft process: Evans averaged 14.6 YPC his junior year in just eight games, and, somehow, everyone has forgotten about him. And that’s despite being the third-leading pass-catcher on a team that went to the national championship… and coming off an ACL tear.
Evans is a willing blocker and can line up in-line or in the slot. The body control on some tight window grabs really pops on tape (and it’s what reminded me of covering Kittle during his Iowa days). He’s not going to pancake anyone like Kittle, but above-average blocking ensures he can play all three downs. Unlike my rant last week, when an executive compared Luke Lachey to Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt, Evans truly would compete with the two free agents the Jaguars signed this offseason and have a chance to surpass them as the No. 2 receiving tight end before long. His comps have ranged from Will Dissly to Mark Andrews, so, yes, this would be great value in the sixth round.
Round 7, Pick 221
Robert Longerbeam, CB, Rutgers
Keeping with the Rams’ trend of “finding value in the secondary on Day 3” as well as the notion that the Jaguars may not be done adding to their cornerbacks room: Longerbeam also has a connection with Campanile and assistant DBs Coach Drew Lascari working in his favor.
A 4.39 40-yard dash and 11’2’’ broad jump may have catapulted (har har) Longerbeam a bit higher than this projection. His “slender” measurables (5’11’’, 175 lbs with 31 ½’’ arms) knock him down a peg – for some. Rutgers coaches describe former team captain Longerbeam as “wired right.” He’ll be an older rookie with 31 starts in 53 career games at RU. His 11 pass break-up’s and two picks in 2024 (42 PBUs for his career) jump off the page. I loved in this interview with friend of 1010XL, The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, that Longerbeam felt his Combine performance – that ranked tops among DBs – “could’ve been better.” In the same interview, Longerbeam noted he is a “true, man-cover corner” thriving in press-man and the signature-Greg Schiano, quarters coverage Rutgers frequently employs.
Might he be the heir apparent to another seventh-round DB pick of the Jaguars in Buster Brown? Longerbeam’s speed would be an upgrade and he’d instantly compete with Brown as a back-up outside corner and core special teams member.
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