2017 NFL mock draft: Solomon Thomas lands with Jacksonville Jaguars

For the sixth year in a row the Jacksonville Jaguars are picking in the top five of the NFL Draft. Apart from defensive back Jalen Ramsey and quarterback Blake Bortles, Jacksonville doesn’t have much to show for those picks.

Justin Blackmon and Luke Joeckel aren’t even on the roster anymore. Dante Fowler, the team’s top-five pick in 2015 has had an uneven career. It might be too early to fully consider the defensive end a bust, but he’s close enough to it that the Jaguars shouldn’t ignore the position totally. Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country appears to agree with the fourth pick in the SB Nation NFL writers mock draft.

Crow: The Jacksonville Jaguars have invested a lot into their defense over the past few seasons, including this offseason with additions like Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye. While a lot of the links at the number four pick has been with a running back, particularly Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars take the best available defensive end on the board in Solomon Thomas. The value of running back at No. 4 overall just isn’t there, with the state of the Jaguars offensive line and Fournette being a back who relies more on blocking than some others you can find later in the draft.

It’s unlikely Thomas would start right away for the Jaguars. With the aforementioned Campbell, last year’s rookie standout Yannick Ngakoue, and former top-five pick Dante Fowler, Jr., Thomas offers a lot of depth and rotation options. With new Executive Vice President Tom Coughlin having final say on the roster, you can imagine he’d want to have the waves of pass rushers he had at his highest success with the New York Giants. Thomas offers versatility in the sense he can play strong or weak side and has a home as a base down end, being able to hold up against the run. He’s the perfect pick to help rotate with the older Campbell as a rookie and eventually take the starting job.

Analysis: The fourth-overall selection is a tough position for the Jaguars to be in this draft. If you don’t think there is value for a running back with the fourth-overall pick -- and you shouldn’t with Jacksonville’s offensive line -- then you probably don’t value a tight end like O.J. Howard either. If that is the case, then going with Thomas is the smart play even if he starts his career as a player moving all around the line. If he performs as expected, he should officially make Fowler a bust.

Our next pick in the SBN NFL writers mock is coming up at noon ET courtesy of Jimmy Morris of Music City Miracles.