NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Jaguars' first-round pick at No. 17

The 2024 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching. In 2023, the Patriots selected DB Christian Gonzalez 17th overall. Jacksonville has the 17th pick this year. Here’s who experts think they'll take.

Pro Football Focus (Brad Spielberger): Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

Originally recruited as a safety, Arnold switched to cornerback at Alabama but was benched in favor of Eli Ricks as a freshman. Ricks joined the Eagles as an undrafted free agent last year but Arnold could have the last laugh as a first-round pick.

“I got benched and I’ve been telling all the NFL teams that right there, it changed everything for me. I kind of like to say I had my Michael Jordan moment," Arnold told reporters at the scouting combine, including ESPN's Stephen Holder.

Arnold posted 63 tackles with five interceptions the following season, earning him first-team All-SEC and All-American honors in 2023. Spielberger tabs the six-foot, 196-pound defensive back as a perfect complement to cornerback Tyson Campbell, the team’s second-round pick in 2021.

NFL.com (Maurice Jones-Drew): Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

Arnold’s Alabama teammate had 93 tackles, two sacks and a pair of interceptions as a three-year starter and earned first-team All-American honors in 2023. Unfortunately, doctors discovered a Jones fracture in his foot at the NFL Scouting Combine which limited his participation.