What will the Jaguars do with their nine draft picks in 2023? Podcast breaks down options

Decisions, decisions.

What will the Jacksonville Jaguars do?

Unlike the past two years, where the Jaguars had the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, this year will be different.

They pick at No. 24, their lowest first-round pick since 2018 when they took Taven Bryan at No. 29.

In fact, it’s only the second time since 2008 where the Jaguars’ first pick hasn’t been inside the Top 10.

This year, it will come down to best player available. Do the Jaguars go with an offensive linemen? Perhaps a coveted edge rusher? Or maybe they go with a tight end?

Who knows, maybe they pull off some sort of trade?

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Given the Jaguars bring back 21 of 22 starters, they don’t have gaping holes to fill, but they do have needs, especially when you look toward the future.

For instance, tight end Evan Engram may only play on a one-year deal on a franchise tag. Many players have contracts coming up over the next year or two, but the team also knows it has a huge contract coming up in two years — that of Trevor Lawrence — so having less expensive players on rookie contracts is always a plus.

So, what might the Jaguars do with this year’s crop of picks, nine in all?

To answer that question, Demetrius Harvey of the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville returns to “The *State* of Florida Sports Podcast” to break things down.

Aside from the No. 24 overall pick in the first round, the Jaguars also have one pick in each the second and third rounds, two in the fourth, none in the fifth, three in the sixth and one in the seventh.

Last year, general manager Trent Baalke traded up into the first round to select Devin Lloyd with the 27th pick after taking Travon Walker No. 1.

The Jaguars look to continue to build on the success of last year — specifically the second half where the team went 7-1 over its final eight games to win the AFC South.

They went on to win a thriller in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Chargers, before bowing out against eventual Super Bowl champion, the Kansas City Chiefs.

This season, the Jaguars have an impressive home schedule, highlighted by the Chiefs. They’ll also welcome in the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, among others.

The Jaguars haven’t had back-to-back winning seasons since 2004 (9-7) and 2005 (12-4).

After that 2005 season, they’ve only had a winning record three times — 2007 (11-5), 2017 (10-6) and 2022 (9-8).

If the Jaguars hope to remain on the right path, they need to get things right in the draft. And it all starts April 27.

Demetrius will tell us what he’s been hearing, plus he’ll give us his thought on Jalen Hurts’ mega-deal worth $255 million over five years, and what that means for Lawrence.

"When you see these numbers for quarterbacks, it just keeps going up and this one (Hurts' deal) was significantly more," Demetrius says during the podcast. "It was around 12% higher than Kyler Murray, who was the last young quarterback to sign a deal. It's gonna be interesting to see because you do have Joe Burrow that's coming up. You have Justin Herbert. That's coming up. You have Lamar Jackson, who is probably gonna be the next up unless the Ravens somehow fumble that away.

"It can only skyrocket. The salary cap is going to go up significantly next year with the deals with Amazon, with the deals with YouTube and all that different kind of revenue that's going to be kicking in. And I think at that point once Trevor is eligible, which is after the season, you know the Jaguars should hurry up and go ahead and get him signed because it's only going to keep going up."

If you’re a fan of the Jaguars — or just love the NFL — you need to listen to this podcast.Join the tens of thousands who have downloaded us and find out why we give you the best sports breakdowns in the state.

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Contact Walters at twalters@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars reporter Demetrius Harvey joins podcast to discuss NFL Draft