Every year the NFL Draft has its own particular makeup. Some positions are stronger in some draft classes than others, but in 2025 it seems the consensus best player in the class is Penn State Nittany Lions edge rusher Abdul Carter. While reports of a foot injury linger in the background of his stock as a draft prospect, they are right there with the whispers that quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward aren’t graded high enough for first-overall picks. As teams weigh the relatively low supply of game-breaking edge rushers as Carter could be vs. the demand for a quarterback upgrade potentially presented by the Colorado Buffaloes or Miami Hurricanes former field generals, there have been some mock drafts from sports pundits the world over that claim Carter going first overall as the best player available is a real possibility.

If that happens and he is acquired by the AFC South’s Tennessee Titans, it could spell disaster for Duval Devout’s precious Jacksonville Jaguars. Here are some reasons why:

THIS GETS HUNTER, GRAHAM, AND CAMPBELL OFF THE BOARD BEFORE PICK #5

This would be a rough start for the “Travis hunters” among the Duval Devout. In early mock drafts from ESPN’s Mel Kiper, he had Carter falling fifth to Jacksonville which was seen as a selection too good to pass up. If Carter instead goes first overall, things start getting dicey for the Jags acquiring the Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter. from the Colorado Buffaloes.

With Carter off the board, the chain reaction starts. The Cleveland Browns can’t use their pick for an insurance policy for their star Myles Garret who has voiced his discontent with the franchise publicly. Already hog-tied to Deshaun Watson at quarterback thanks to his contract, there’s a chance they choose to suffer through their quarterback situation until next year and focus on getting strong in the trenches with the LSU Tigers’ Will Campbell at offense tackle or the Michigan Wolverines’ Mason Graham at defensive tackle. But they too may instead make a selection for a dynamic playmaker which Hunter is on both sides of the ball.

If the Browns get a quarterback in Sanders or Ward, the New York Giants will likely follow suit and leave hope for the Jags. However, if the Giants plan to make a run at Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in the offseason and forego selecting quarterback, one can’t rule out the third overall selection being Campbell, Hunter, or Graham — all guys at positions that Jacksonville needs immediately.

With the New England Patriots at four and likely looking to build on their quarterback Drake Maye, they would presumably take their favorite of whoever is remaining of those three names whether the Giants take a quarterback or not.

Will the Jaguars take the Arizona Wildcats’ Tet McMillan at wide receiver or Michigan’s Will Johnson at corner at that point? Possibly — but while that would represent an upgrade at those positions, it wouldn’t necessarily be something that immediately takes points off the scoreboard for opponents or keeps the ball in the hands of franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. And any combination of those two things are what the Jags need to achieve in the upcoming draft. Maybe they throw together a draft class overall that can do that in the aggregate or free agency, but it won’t be with JUST the fifth overall pick.

THE JAGS DON’T GET HIM

It seems trite to say it, but if the Titans acquire Carter, he doesn’t wear teal playing in Duval County. Jacksonville had 18.5 sacks in 2024 with Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen (Walker 10.5 on his own) so it may seem trite and redundant for the Jaguars to get Carter in that instance, but he isn’t just a player who is good at putting his hand in the dirt to attack the quarterback. With comps out there to the Dallas Cowboys franchise defensive player Mich Parsons, he has skills where he can be useful off the line in coverage and also help in stopping the run — something that Jacksonville has struggled with in the past. As good as team captain Foye Oluokun is at the linebacker spot, Carter there to bolster the ranks where the organization has missed some draft picks would be beneficial.

THE JAGS WILL FACE HIM TWICE A YEAR

Carter improving the Titans pass rush just makes things more dangerous for passing game when the Jaguars play their division rivals. Lawrence has dealt with injury plenty in the previous two seasons and missed seven of the last eight games in 2024 because of protection issues.

Titans veteran defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons is on record calling for Carter to be their target. Declaring “he’s a dog” of “the guy from Penn State”, Carter could take attention away from Simmons who can then have more of an opportunity to destroy the Jaguars’ interior offensive line than he has in the recent past. In short, it could represent a double whammy of sorts allowing where Simmons is more effective at stopping the run because Carter upgrades Tennesee’s ability to stop the pass.