Doug Pederson Hints at Jaguars' Plans for No. 1 Overall Pick

With the 2022 NFL Draft officially less than a month away, no one is sure about who the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to select with the No. 1 overall pick. One reason everyone is unsure is that the organization has many holes to fill with multiple high-end prospects on the board that can fill them.

FanDuel Sportsbook is currently favoring them to draft Michigan pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson first overall, but that's far from a guarantee. Besides, judging by Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson's latest comments, it appears as if Jacksonville has its eyes on a different position altogether.

Jaguars NFL Draft

Pederson told reporters at the NFL's Annual Meeting in Palm Spring, Florida that a team "can never have enough offensive linemen." With quarterback Trevor Lawrence looking to have a bounce-back campaign in 2022, Pederson's quote makes all the sense in the world.

Lawrence completed just 59.6% of his passes in his rookie year for 3,641 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and a league-leading 17 interceptions. With a better offensive line, he'll have more time to pass, which should help avoid similar numbers in his sophomore season.

Alabama's Evan Neal is widely seen as the top o-line prospect in the draft and was even in contention to go first overall just over a month ago. Neal has allowed only 24 pressures over the last two seasons while giving up two sacks on 650 pass-block snaps in 2021, which proves the type of protection he offers for the Jaguars.

Nevertheless, Pederson could also just be doing his job by not revealing the Jaguars' true plan. Jacksonville had the fifth-worst scoring defense last season, so it's entirely possible that the team could go after a starting-caliber defender such as Hutchinson or even Georgia defensive end Travon Walker.

Regardless of who the Jaguars end up drafting No. 1 overall, fans won't have to wait long to find out. The 2022 NFL Draft goes down on Thursday, April 28 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.