With the 17th pick in the Pod Community Mock, the Jaguars select...

The Jacksonville Jaguars are up next in our 2024 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft. Last year, the Jaguars were considered the up-and-coming team in the AFC. And while they finished 2023 with the same 9-8 record they had in 2022, it did feel like a step back for the franchise—particularly when you consider the massive leap their divisional foe Houston Texans took.

They weren’t a bad team last year, but they clearly need something to give their franchise a boost this year. The additions of Arik Armstead, Ronald Darby, and Mitch Morse give them some veteran experience, but the NFL Draft is where they’ll likely make their biggest mark.

So tasked with that in our Pod Community Mock is commenter Justwinginit. If that’s a Red Wings inspired username, I would like to offer my condolences for just how much the Wings blew it this week.

Sorry, sorry. Got distracted there.

Before we get into the Jaguars’ pick, make sure you catch up on the first 16 picks of the draft with our tracker here.

With the 17th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Jaguars have selected Adonai Mitchell, receiver out of Texas.

Here’s Justwinginit with the explanation for the pick:

“As a local of Jacksonville, I was able to witness first hand the emotional rollercoaster this offseason of the Jags’/Calvin Ridley saga. The team signed Gabe Davis to a respectable three-year deal, but I don’t think there’s anyone who truly believes it’s an even swap for Ridley. Additionally, Christian Kirk was able to move back to his natural slot position this past season thanks to the presence of Ridley. That being said, Ridley’s cap hit is currently eighth in the league for WRs at a little over $24 million in 2024 with a projected hit of over $27 million in 2025, the last year of his contract. Once you finally consider the huge raises due to Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence, among others, I believe Kirk is a prime candidate to be a cap casualty in the 2025 off season.

“Enter Adonai Mitchell. After posting the fifth-best RAS score for a WR since its inception, he has been rising up draft boards consistently. While not an incredibly diverse route runner at this point in his development, some of that can be attributed to losing a season to injury prior to transferring to Texas. Stretching the field to give Lawrence more of a vertical threat should help clean up some of the mistakes Lawrence has made forcing the ball into tight coverage across the middle.”