The Jacksonville Jaguars used the franchise tag on offensive tackle Cam Robinson on Tuesday. Not big news in NFL circles as the Jags tagged Robinson last year as well.
But it is big news as Jacksonville holds the No. 1 overall selection in this year’s NFL draft and committing to Robinson via the tag could mean they will not be selecting an offensive tackle with that pick.
That’s good news for the Giants, who hold the fifth and seventh overall selections. The Jags are now likely to use that pick on a pass rusher — most likely either Michigan’s Aiden Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon — pushing the stud offensive tackles (Alabama’s Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu of N.C. State) down the order.
Detroit holds the second overall pick and they are in the market for a pass rusher as well. Other needs are wide receiver and secondary help.
With the third pick, Houston could take a tackle but they also could trade back or take a dynamic offensive weapon or a defensive back.
The Jets, at No. 4, are not in dire need of a tackle but may not be able to pass up there value here. They also are short in the secondary and may jump on Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton here. They also could take a wide receiver at this spot.
The Giants are in a great spot at No. 5 and don’t really need to move up to get a player they both want and need. At No. 7, they also hold a lot of cards as teams could be seeking to trade up for a quarterback and offer the Giants a small ransom to move up.
