Jaguars GM Gene Smith confirmed on Thursday that the team has been shopping the 10th overall pick in this month’s draft. The Jags don’t have a second round pick and would like to recoup one in a trade, but in order for them to have success swapping picks on draft day they’ll need a couple of predominant prospects to fall.
Jacksonville is still very much a candidate to select Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, although it appears that they’d rather trade the pick and stick with incumbent starter David Garrard. But if Clausen falls past Oakland and Buffalo, then there may be a team in the teens that would be willing to move up in order to snag the potential franchise quarterback.
The same could be said for receiver Dez Bryant, whose stock is apparently falling but could still be a hot commodity on draft day. Bryant is clearly the best receiving prospect in the draft, although his character concerns have scared away multiple teams. Denver seems like the most practical landing place for Bryant and considering they pick 11th, the Jags could shop their pick to a team that wants to get ahead of the Broncos.
Perhaps the most intriguing team that may want to deal with the Jaguars is the 49ers, who have two first round picks (No. 13 and No. 17). If they have doubts about Alex Smith, they might pull the trigger on Clausen by moving ahead of the Broncos and Dolphins. Of course, they could always stay put as well and hope Clausen falls to them at No. 13.
A couple of teams could be interested in Bryant, including the Titans (No. 16), Cowboys (No. 27) and/or Bengals (No. 21). All it takes is one team to deal with and if both Clausen and Bryant fall, the Jaguars’ phones might be ringing off the hook once they get on the clock.
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