NFL Mock Draft: Ex-Jaguars RB projects Jacksonville to get Tetairoa McMillan

The Jacksonville Jaguars may hope that lightning will strike twice for them in the upcoming NFL draft. Their former Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew, an analyst on the NFL Network, projects the Jags will select wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan when they are on the clock at No. 5 on April 24.

“Head coach Liam Coen aims to replicate what he had in Tampa with a pair of talented receivers at the center of his offense,” Jones-Drew said on Thursday.

The Jags chose 22-year-old Brian Thomas Jr. with their first pick in the 2024 draft. The LSU receiver had a spectacular season in Jacksonville, making 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, a franchise rookie record in all three categories.

“Joining second-year pro Brian Thomas Jr., McMillan is a big receiver (6-foot-4, 219 pounds) with the ball skills and physicality to make contested catches,” Jones-Drew added.

McMillian was a Consensus All-American in college last season, putting up 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns on 84 receptions. The Polynesian College Football Player of the Year in 2024 led the Arizona Wildcats with 10 catches for 160 yards in their Alamo Bowl victory over the Oklahoma Sooners (38-24).

Jaguars are thin at the receiver spot

The departures of veterans Christian Kirk and Evan Engram have left the Jaguars relatively thin at the receiver position. Both players spent much of last season on the injured list, leaving Brian Thomas Jr. on his own more often than not.

While the Jags have had at least one 1,000-yard receiver in the past three seasons, they haven’t had as much depth in that position. That was particularly evident in 2024, with their next best pass-catcher after Thomas regarding receiving yards last season being tight end Brenton Strange, who had 40 catches for 411 yards and two scores.

The Jaguars added four offensive linemen in free agency this off-season to try and better protect franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. At the same time, Coen has said they need to run the ball better to have offensive success in 2025, though they are pretty set there with Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby if they can stay healthy.

In 2024, they averaged a mere 101.7 yards per game on the ground, which is good for 26th in the NFL. Outside of Thomas, though, they weren’t that much better through the air either, finishing 24th in the league in passing with an average of 204.5 yards per game.

The Jaguars have missed the playoffs in the past two seasons, finishing third in the AFC South in 2024 with a record of 4-13.