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rades are a big part of every professional sport. Whether a team is offloading big salaries, parting ways with an aging veteran, or simply trying to acquire assets for future success, trades can make all the difference in the world. In the NFL, trades have become an even bigger deal in recent seasons, with more trades happening now than ever before. Increasing to a 17 game schedule in 2021, teams have started to use different strategies to get through the longer season.
And with the 2025 season starting and 53-man rosters finalized in about a month, ESPN.com released an article on which players from all 32 teams are worth a first round pick in a trade. More games means that players put more wear and tear on the body, making the need for young and fresh legs increase. When it comes to the Jacksonville Jaguars, there are some players who ESPN believes the team could get good value for if they decided to trade them away.
Which Players the Jaguars Could Get Firsts For
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell broke up the players into three tiers: two first round picks, one first round pick and missing out. And when it comes to who the Jaguars could get two first round picks for, Barnwell noted Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are worth one first rounder, according to Barnwell.
“The Jags just sent two first-round picks to the Browns to move up and acquire Hunter in April,” Barnwell said about Hunter, Lawrence and Thomas. “Some of the bloom is off the Lawrence rose in Jacksonville after he went 2-8 as the starter last season, but he isn’t far removed from being excellent between the second half of 2022 and the start of 2023, and he’s still about to be only 26 years old. There are too many teams that had him as a truly elite college prospect to think there wouldn’t be a significant market for his services, even if the results haven’t necessarily been what the Jags and their fans would have hoped.”
Thomas Jr. dominated as a rookie in 2024, recording 87 catches on 133 targets for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns– establishing himself as the team’s clear cut WR1. Lawrence struggled most of last season– but only played in 10 games because of injuries.
What Barnwell Said About Hines-Allen, Walker and the Guys That Missed Out
Hines-Allen and Walker are two guys who have become the face of the Jaguars’ defense and with their strong play throughout their careers, Barnwell believes that if the team were to ever trade them, they would get a pretty good haul.
“Two things can be true. So far, it looks like the Jaguars erred by taking Walker ahead of Aidan Hutchinson with the first overall pick in the 2022 draft,” Barnwell said. “It’s simultaneously true that Walker has emerged as a solid pass rusher, posting back-to-back double-digit sack campaigns in his age-23 and age-24 seasons. Hines-Allen has been a better player and exhibited a higher ceiling, but he is also three years older than his fellow edge rusher and already on a five-year, $141.2 million extension.”
After Lawrence, Thomas, Hunter, Hines-Allen and Walker, the Jaguars roster still has a lot of holes. Still rebuilding, the franchise has ways to go before their roster becomes a perennial contender and is filled with stars, but Barnwell is high on cornerback, Tyson Campbell, seeing him as a potential asset in a trade as well.
“There’s a pretty big drop-off between Jacksonville’s five most valuable players and the rest of the roster,” Barnwell said. “The only player in the middle might be CB, Tyson Campbell, who had an excellent sophomore season in 2022 before missing time in each of the past two seasons with injuries. He’s still only 25, so there’s time for him to turn things around, but he has to stay on the field to restore some trade value.”
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