Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, left, speaks next to general manager James Gladstone during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars Can Use Draft to Close AFC South Gap

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Apr 20, 2025 1:00 PM ET

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 2025 season has to be about climbing back into the AFC South race.

Nobody is expecting Liam Coen and his group to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Year 1. But they should be expected to at least be competitive in their own division, an issue last season when they got swept by the Houston Texans.

But the fact that the Jaguars picked up three of their four wins on the entire season in AFC South battle is at least a good sign for the Jaguars moving forward, if not an indictment on the division as a whole.

Even in a year in which everything was going wrong for the Jaguars, they still went .500 in the AFC South with a sweep of the Tennessee Titans and a win over the Colts. And of their three AFC South losses, they came by four, three and three points. The Jaguars, even at their lowest, hung tough.

That is why the Jaguars should feel like the 2025 NFL Draft should give them a chance to close the gap.

Jacksonville certainly needs to level up in terms of their roster talent to do so, but that is what the draft is for. That is what 10 draft picks, including four picks in the first three rounds, should do for a team if executed correctly.

The Jaguars already have their core pieces in place with the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr., Josh Hines-Allen, and Travon Walker. Already having the No. 1 quarterback, No. 1 wide receiver, and a pass-rushing duo in place gives the Jaguars a lot of flexibility.

If the Jaguars can find enough young starters via the draft, they could give the roster the floor and improved depth it has been missing in past AFC South battles.

The Texans, like the Jaguars, have some core pieces locked up but they have some serious questions as well along the offensive line. The Colts don't know who their Week 1 quarterback will be, which is never a good thing, and the Tennessee Titans will be led by a rookie quarterback on one of the NFL's weakest rosters.

If the Jaguars can somehow seize the opportunity to add several impact players, they could crawl closer to the Texans than anyone previously thought they could.