GM Baalke: No trade offers for No. 1 pick, Jaguars considering 4 players

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said Friday that he hasn't received any trade calls for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

"We're willing to listen, but no, nobody's called directly," he said.

This is the second consecutive year Jacksonville owns the first overall pick. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was a virtual lock to be the first name off the board in 2021, but Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson have yet to decide who they'll select on April 28.

"It's still a work in progress," said Baalke, who added the team is considering four players for the No. 1 choice.

"We still have several meetings to go through, a lot of discussion between the coaching staff, the personnel staff, we're continuing to dig up and do research on these guys. The pick doesn't have to be made today ... We're ahead of last year's schedule in terms of preparation."

He continued: "There's so much that goes into these decisions. It's not just the film, it's all the other things that go into that guy having success or not having success. Most of the time, they don't fail because they're not physically gifted. They fail for other reasons."

Several prospects have been linked to the Jaguars at No. 1. Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is the favorite to go first, but many experts also consider Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker a strong candidate. Offensive tackles Evan Neal (Alabama) and Ikem Ekwonu (NC State) have also had their names tied to the first selection.

"Aidan is a good football player," Baalke said. "There's other good football players in this draft. Who's gonna be the best player when it's all said and done? Heck, if we knew that, we'd go to Vegas and lay the money down."

Jacksonville owns 12 picks in this year's draft, tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the most selections.

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