Jacksonville Jaguars: Early top positions of need for 2021 NFL Draft

Running Back

Running back already stood out as an obvious long-term need for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but with Leonard Fournette now out of the fold, their long-term running back position is pretty ugly. Luckily, it can be easy for NFL teams to establish cobble together a strong running back situation and the Jacksonville Jaguars should not be in any hurry to be spending premium capital on the position.

That being said, their current running back situation leaves plenty to be desired and it will be an obvious position of need for the team in the 2021 NFL Draft.

With Fournette gone, Chris Thompson is far-and-away the most established back on the roster. However, the 29-year-old Thompson holds extremely limited long-term value and has never been much of a threat on the ground. The Jags will also likely be looking to Ryquell Armstrong and Devin Ozigbo to take some carries in 2020.

Personally, I would like to see undrafted rookie James Robinson get a chance to make some noise. Robinson was an extremely productive college running back who shows great patience and ball carrier vision in the backfield. He is also quick in short spaces and is a physical runner who does a great job of maintaining his balance through contact. If Robinson is given an opportunity as a rookie, the Jags may find a solid running back option for essentially free.

That being said, the most likely scenario is that this team enters the 2021 NFL Draft with a massive need at the running back position. I doubt that they would spend a first or second-round pick on the position, but they would likely at least take a flyer or two in the mid-to-late rounds.

Potential 2021 NFL Draft targets: Kenneth Gainwell, Journey Brown, Zamir White, Kylin Hill, Trey Sermon and Jaret Patterson