PALM BEACH, Fla. — Michigan football defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has moved into pole position to be the first player taken in April’s NFL draft, but Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said his team’s free agent moves will not preclude them from taking an offensive tackle with the first overall pick.
“We’re not done, obviously,” Pederson said Monday at the NFL’s annual meeting at The Breakers hotel. “The draft is coming up, and I’m sure we’re going to add some more depth at that position. You can never have enough offensive linemen in the NFL.”
The Jaguars used the franchise tag to retain left tackle Cam Robinson and hope to sign him to a long-term contract, and added top guard Brandon Scherff on a three-year deal in free agency, solidifying their offensive line.
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Starting center Brandon Linder announced his retirement Monday, but Jacksonville also returns starting left guard Ben Bartch, starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor and swing tackle Walker Little, a second-round pick last spring.
Hutchinson is the favorite to go No. 1 overall after a 14-sack season at Michigan, but two offensive linemen Ikem Ekwonu of North Carolina State and Evan Neal of Alabama also could be in the mix.
The Detroit Lions have the second pick in the draft and are believed to prefer Hutchinson.
They return their top-seven offensive linemen from last season and have both starting tackles, Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, under contract for at least the next three seasons.
General manager Brad Holmes indicated after taking Sewell with the seventh pick in last year’s draft that he would prefer not to draft an offensive tackle in the first round again this spring.
“There’s certain positions like, I would say we feel pretty good about the tackle position right now,” Holmes said last year. “I’m not sure if there’s another Penei that will be in the draft next year, but it’d be hard-pressed to say that we would immediately be looking for an upgrade over the tackle position.”
The Lions will have plenty of defensive options at No. 2 even if Hutchinson goes first to Jacksonville. Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux had a formal meeting with the Lions at the NFL combine and Holmes plans to see him at his pro day this week, and Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton and pass rushers Travon Walker of Georgia and Jermaine Johnson of Florida State are other potential top-10 picks.
For Pederson and the Jaguars, the decision is less about positional need and more about long-term fit.
“The decisions to bring guys like Cam back are to protect your quarterback, it has nothing to do with the draft,” Pederson said. “And we want those guys to be — we want that offensive line to be solidified. We want guys up there that have been around. Cam is a big part of that, is going to be a big part of that, so we were excited to obviously retain him. But as it pertains to the draft, that’s kind of its own separate deal right now.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.