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NFL Mock Draft 2013: Jaguars tempted by Dee Milliner?

The Jaguars have a huge need for a pass rusher in the 2013 NFL Draft, but Dee Milliner may be too tempting to pass up at No. 2 according to one mock draft expert.

USA TODAY Sports

Up until the 2013 NFL Combine, a lot of mock drafts projected the Jacksonville Jaguars to address an ailing pass rush with the No. 2 overall pick. The Jags were dead last in the NFL with just 20 sacks last season, so the need is obvious. There are a lot of talented pass rushers in this year's draft class, and Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports still expects Jacksonville to target one of the Combine's most impressive performer in LSU's Barkevious Mingo:

The Jags are in desperate need of pass-rushers anyway, but new head coach Gus Bradley learned a lot about the LEO end position under Pete Carroll for three years in Seattle. Gus will want a guy who can burn it around the edge, and loop inside while tackles stop up the gaps. Mingo may have the best skill set in this class to do those things.

The standout performance of Dee Milliner may have made the cornerback too tempting to pass, however. The Jags may have a big need at cornerback with Derek Cox and Reshean Mathis entering free agency, and Milliner is clearly the best player at his position according to Sports Illustrated's Don Banks:

Milliner's 4.37 time in the 40-yard dash at the combine made him one of the hotter names as March looms, and all but assures him a top-five slot, upcoming shoulder surgery or not. Sure, the Jaguars need pass rush help, and defensive linemen like Florida's Sharrif Floyd or Florida State's Bjoern Werner are sitting there for the taking. But they also have cornerbacks Derek Cox and Rashean Mathis entering free agency, and with the depth at defensive line in this draft, you should be able to get a quality starter in the second round. That's why you take the draft's best cornerback in the first round.

The Jaguars likely can't go wrong either way. Arguments can be made for Mingo and Milliner (among others) as the best players available at the No. 2, and both would fill big needs. The need for a pass rusher is arguably bigger, but if the Jags believe that Milliner is the better overall prospect, few would consider it a reach.

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