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The Jacksonville Jaguars have endured plenty of draft day disappointment. Can they avoid that fate in 2025?
For every Tony Boselli or Fred Taylor in the Jaguars' first-round history books, there's another one -- maybe more than one -- that didn't live up to expectations. When assessing the reasons for the Jaguars' woes over most of the last 15 years, dud drafts rank near the top of the list.
Even by the Jaguars' standards of first-round disappointment, these five picks stand out.
Tom Coughlin took a chance on Soward in hopes of finding an explosive downfield receiver to team with Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. Explosive, perhaps, but in the wrong way. Plagued by off-field issues, Soward played a grand total of 13 games in the NFL, all in 2000, and closed his career with 14 receptions for 154 yards and one touchdown. He drew suspensions of one game (violating team rules, December 2020), four games (NFL substance abuse policy, June 2021), six more games (NFL substance abuse policy, October 2021) and four games (violating team rules, December 2021).
Harvey helped the Gators to a national championship in college football but couldn't duplicate that performance in the NFL. By the time the Jaguars waived him in July 2011, Harvey had recorded only eight sacks, never more than 3 1/2 in a season, and he dropped to the bench in 2010. Worse yet, the Jaguars had traded up for Harvey, investing two third-round picks and a fourth-rounder to move up from No. 26 to No. 8 in a swap with Baltimore.
While first-rounders Byron Leftwich and Blake Bortles also fell short of franchise QB expectations, both did have their moments in Jacksonville, including a playoff trip for each. Not so for Gabbert, whose debut start against Carolina ended inauspiciously (he didn't realize that the clock had restarted after a challenge, leading to the Jags running out of time in a 16-10 loss) and never got better. Sacked constantly, injured frequently and struggling to move the offense, Gabbert exited Jacksonville after three years with a 53.3 completion percentage, more picks (24) than touchdowns (22) and a 5-22 record as starter.
Based on pure talent, Blackmon showed flashes of becoming Jacksonville's best receiver since Jimmy Smith, including a 236-yard game against the Houston Texans in 2012. But all of that was soon swallowed up by Blackmon's off-field issues, which began with a rookie-year DUI arrest and escalated into multiple NFL suspensions for violations of the substance abuse policy. He never played another NFL game after October 2013, ending with 93 receptions for 1,280 yards in 20 games. Not what Jags fans had in mind at No. 5.
No, this wasn't a great draft for the Jaguars. Their second first-rounder, K'Lavon Chaisson, failed to impress in Jacksonville; Henderson, picked ninth overall, fared even worse. A groin injury cut short his rookie year, and in September 2021, the Jaguars traded the cornerback to the Carolina Panthers. He played no games in the 2024 regular season, and in Jacksonville, he ended up with barely more career games (10) than the number of his draft selection (9).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: NFL Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars' all-time worst first-round picks
Continue reading...
For every Tony Boselli or Fred Taylor in the Jaguars' first-round history books, there's another one -- maybe more than one -- that didn't live up to expectations. When assessing the reasons for the Jaguars' woes over most of the last 15 years, dud drafts rank near the top of the list.
Even by the Jaguars' standards of first-round disappointment, these five picks stand out.
2000: WR R. Jay Soward (No. 29), Southern California
Tom Coughlin took a chance on Soward in hopes of finding an explosive downfield receiver to team with Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. Explosive, perhaps, but in the wrong way. Plagued by off-field issues, Soward played a grand total of 13 games in the NFL, all in 2000, and closed his career with 14 receptions for 154 yards and one touchdown. He drew suspensions of one game (violating team rules, December 2020), four games (NFL substance abuse policy, June 2021), six more games (NFL substance abuse policy, October 2021) and four games (violating team rules, December 2021).
2008: DE Derrick Harvey (No. 8), Florida
Harvey helped the Gators to a national championship in college football but couldn't duplicate that performance in the NFL. By the time the Jaguars waived him in July 2011, Harvey had recorded only eight sacks, never more than 3 1/2 in a season, and he dropped to the bench in 2010. Worse yet, the Jaguars had traded up for Harvey, investing two third-round picks and a fourth-rounder to move up from No. 26 to No. 8 in a swap with Baltimore.
2011: QB Blaine Gabbert (No. 10), Missouri
While first-rounders Byron Leftwich and Blake Bortles also fell short of franchise QB expectations, both did have their moments in Jacksonville, including a playoff trip for each. Not so for Gabbert, whose debut start against Carolina ended inauspiciously (he didn't realize that the clock had restarted after a challenge, leading to the Jags running out of time in a 16-10 loss) and never got better. Sacked constantly, injured frequently and struggling to move the offense, Gabbert exited Jacksonville after three years with a 53.3 completion percentage, more picks (24) than touchdowns (22) and a 5-22 record as starter.
2012: WR Justin Blackmon (No. 5), Oklahoma State
Based on pure talent, Blackmon showed flashes of becoming Jacksonville's best receiver since Jimmy Smith, including a 236-yard game against the Houston Texans in 2012. But all of that was soon swallowed up by Blackmon's off-field issues, which began with a rookie-year DUI arrest and escalated into multiple NFL suspensions for violations of the substance abuse policy. He never played another NFL game after October 2013, ending with 93 receptions for 1,280 yards in 20 games. Not what Jags fans had in mind at No. 5.
2020: CB CJ Henderson (No. 9), Florida
No, this wasn't a great draft for the Jaguars. Their second first-rounder, K'Lavon Chaisson, failed to impress in Jacksonville; Henderson, picked ninth overall, fared even worse. A groin injury cut short his rookie year, and in September 2021, the Jaguars traded the cornerback to the Carolina Panthers. He played no games in the 2024 regular season, and in Jacksonville, he ended up with barely more career games (10) than the number of his draft selection (9).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: NFL Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars' all-time worst first-round picks
Continue reading...
