Will Abdul Carter Fall to the Jaguars?

For all intends and purposes, the Travis Hunter dream seems long gone for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But could there be another potential dream scenario for the Jaguars at No. 5? That remains the question ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.

If there is, it revolves around one clear option: Penn State pass-rushing phenom Abdul Carter, who is among the best players in the entire draft.

The overwhelming consensus seems to be that Carter is the favorite to be the No. 3 selection to the New York Giants, but what if the Giants throw a curveball and go elsewhere? Perhaps they have been the team enamored with Mason Graham all this time. Perhaps they shock the draft and take Shedeur Sanders at No. 3.

That is when things could get interesting for the Jaguars and their chances to draft the top pass-rusher in the entire draft.

If Carter falls to No. 4, the New England Patriots very easily could take the star edge setter. But they could also want to find a starting left tackle bad enough that they stick with the easy selection of LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell.

“I think there’s some starting tackles that certainly will come in and start in the NFL,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said to the media this week. “I think that’s really what you start to look for is impact players when you start picking that high — what they’re going to do for you, what’s the impact, what’s the position?

If the Jaguars were to get lucky at both the No. 3 and No. 4 spot -- and it is still a fairly big if -- then the Jaguars would be in the perfect position to grab Carter with the first pick of the new regime.

Will Carter actually fall to No. 5? It doesn't seem especially likely, but it does seem like there is at least more of a chance of it happening than there is of Hunter falling to No. 5. And right now, this very much seems like a scenario the Jaguars should be crossing their fingers over ahead of the draft.