JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — And the pick is in!
The Jags traded back twice in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft before picking Oklahoma OL Anton Harrison 27th overall.
Harrison hails from Washington, D.C. and played in 34 games at Oklahoma.
As a junior last season, Harrison allowed just one sack and no QB hits in 447 pass-blocking plays for the Sooners.
He was named All-Big 12 last season and in 24 starts for the Sooners he started 23 times at left tackle and once at right tackle.
The Jags once again traded back from the 56th overall pick to the 61st overall pick, drafting Penn State TE Brenton Strange in the second round.
Strange is a former four-star recruit from Parkersburg, WV who transferred from West Virginia to Penn State.
Last season with the Nittany Lions, Strange started all 13 games and caught 32 balls for 362 yards receiving. He finished third team All-Big Ten last season.
Strange spoke to the media after his selection in the second round Friday night.
He said he didn't talk to the Jags before the Draft, but is excited to join the Jags and called them a young team with some great players, including tight end Evan Engram who he says he's looked up to.
"When I saw Jacksonville's number I knew that Coach (Pederson) uses the tight ends just from watching him and everywhere he's been he's had some great tight ends and he knows how to use them so I'm very excited. Especially to learn from a guy like Evan Engram I've been watching him since college, taken bits and pieces from his game. He's a great player so I'm excited to get to work," Strange said.
With the 88th overall pick the Jags selected running back Tank Bigsby out of Auburn.
Some experts expect Bigsby, who finished 7th all time in rushing yards at Auburn, to be the Jags No. 2 running back behind Travis Etienne Jr.
Bigsby had 25 career touchdowns and 13 100-yard games while at Auburn and brings a physical, bruising running style to the Jags.
"Again, you stick with the board. We felt at that point in time what he brings to the table, his physicality, the way he runs between the tackles, it was something that we needed to add to the rotation. It's going to be, like coach said, great competition. You got a room with guys that got to now go earn it. That never hurts. Iron sharpens iron,"Jags GM Trent Baalke said of Bigsby.
With the 121st overall pick, the Jags drafted inside linebacker Ventrell Miller out of Florida.
In five seasons with the Gators, Miller tallied 240 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles.
According to ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Steve Muench, Miller uses his long arms as an advantage as a blocker and can fly around the field. Muench says he could be an impact player on special teams.
The Jags drafted Oklahoma State DE Tyler Lacy at 130th overall.
Lacy started 44 games at Oklahoma State which is top 10 in school history and his 22 quarterback hurries are tied for the second-most in Oklahoma State history.
In four seasons with Cowboys, Lacy had 113 total tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
The Jags had the first pick of the fifth round and drafted Louisville OLB Yasir Abdullah 136th overall.
In five seasons with the Cardinals, Abdullah had 210 total tackles, 43 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and three interceptions.
Abdullah is the son of former Florida Gators LB Xavier McCray.
According to Draft Network, Abdullah's agility, closing speed and pass-rush production could make him an impact starter.
With the 160th pick in the Draft the Jags took safety Antonio Johnson out of Texas A&M.
Johnson finished his junior season at Texas A&M as 2022 AP All-SEC First Team.
He had 71 total tackles, five tackles for loss and three forced fumbles last season for the Aggies.
Johnson could fill the Jags' need at the nickel corner position on defense.
With the 185th pick the Jags drafted Penn State wide receiver Parker Washington.
Washington caught a pass in all 32 games of his Penn State career and finished with 146 career receptions to rank 10th all time at Penn State.
He also had 1,920 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns for the Nittany Lions.
Washington is the cousin of former Jaguars QB Joshua Dobbs.
With the 202nd pick in the Draft the Jags took cornerback Christian Braswell out of Rutgers.
Braswell had three interceptions, including a pick six, during his senior season at Rutgers.
He also had 25 solo tackles, one tackle for a loss and 14 passes defended last season for the Scarlet Knights.
With the 208th overall pick the Jags took safety Erick Hallett II out of Pittsburgh.
Hallett II started all 13 games at free safety for Pitt last season and made 31 straight starts to finish his college career.
He had 115 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and eight interceptions during his four seasons at Pitt.
With the 226th pick the Jags drafted former Baker County Wildcat offensive lineman Cooper Hodges.
Hodges was a four-time All-Sun Belt selection while at Appalachian State and started at right tackle in all 51 of his college games.
He played more than 3,500 snaps in his career and only allowed seven sacks in 1,668 pass-blocking snaps.
Hodges was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl where he played offensive guard.
With the 227th pick in the Draft the Jags selected North Carolina DT Raymond Vohasek.
In four seasons with the Tar Heels, Vohasek had 96 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and seven passes defended.
And for their final pick in the 2023 NFL Draft the Jags took University of Houston fullback/defensive lineman Derek Parish 240th overall.
Parish was Houston's team captain as a senior last season.
He suffered a season-ending injury against Rice, but despite only playing four games last season he finished second on the team with 8.5 tackles for loss.
Parish also had five sacks in the four games he played last season.
Jags GM Trent Baalke told the media after the Draft that it's likely Parish starts working out with the Jags as a fullback.