With the 2025 NFL Draft just around the corner, it seems as good a time as any to review how the Jaguars fared during their last annual selection meeting. Acknowledging that the first 12 months of an NFL players’ career does not necessarily determine the trajectory of the rest of their time as a professional - and also that Jacksonville’s front office has a totally different look now to what it did then - we can at least gauge the teams draft weekend performance based on year one’s returns. Let’s get into it!
Round 1, Pick 23: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Lmk how 22 NFL GM’s passed on Brian Thomas Jr.
➖80 Receptions
➖1,179 Yards
➖10 TD’s
He led ALL of CFB in TD’s last year (17) and measured in the combine at 6’3, 210 lbs
➖98th Percentile 40 Time (4.33)
➖98th Percentile Catch Radius (10.44)
There were so many signs man pic.twitter.com/IKvYBBUhYC
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) December 31, 2024
We don’t need more than 17 games to know that the first round selection of Brian Thomas Jr was a home run hit. 87 catches, 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first campaign saw the LSU receiver very quickly establish himself as WR1 for the Jaguars. Already considered a top-10 WR in the league, he’ll be burning corners for years to come.
Grade: A+
Round 2, Pick 48: Maason Smith, DT, LSU
An immediate contributor on the defensive front, Maason Smith enjoyed healthy snap numbers his first six games as a Jaguar with modest production - his first sack coming against the Chicago Bears in mid-October. An ankle injury meant he was inactive for a five game stretch in the middle of the season before enjoying an increased role down the stretch - averaging over 60% of snaps the rest of the year. Smith started the last five games of 2024 and looks set for a starting role the coming year.
Grade: B-
Round 3, Pick 96: Jarrian Jones, CB, Florida State
Jarrian Jones in single coverage this season:
89.2 coverage grade (3rd)
9 targets
3 receptions allowed
1 interception
3 forced incompletions
10.6 passer rating allowed (1st) pic.twitter.com/EBftlkpaYj
— PFF JAX Jaguars (@PFF_Jaguars) November 7, 2024
Already a crowd favorite for his tenacity on the field, Jarrian Jones eased his way into defensive duties with the Jaguars last year. Predominantly featuring as relief at nickel to start his career, significant injury in the secondary saw Jones moved around the back end to cover where needed. Good performances on the outside saw his snap numbers increase, with his interception against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8 and a five-tackle performance in the win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 16 particular highlights. Jones is slated to be a starter on the outside in 2025 - not bad for a 3rd round pick!
Grade: B+
Round 4, Pick 114: Javon Foster, OT, Missouri
A healthy scratch for all but four games his rookie season, Javon Foster failed to make any impact on the Jaguars’ depth chart in 2024. With zero snaps played on offense and just 12 on special teams (nine of which came in the final two games), there’s very little tape to determine his role or value moving forward. A big offseason awaits for the Missouri offensive tackle.
Grade: E
Round 4, Pick 116: Jordan Jefferson, DT, LSU
The second interior defensive lineman and third LSU Tiger taken in this draft, Jordan Jefferson was probably not expected to threaten any starters in year 1. And so it proved - it took him six weeks to make the active gameday roster, his debut coming in London against the Bears. From then on the defensive tackle became an unlikely contributor for a six game stretch, peaking against the Detroit Lions in Week 11 with 35 snaps. Perhaps the 52-6 humbling at Ford Field contributed to his benching again, and Jefferson wasn’t seen until the final two games of the season. Showing promise or elevated too early? The jury is still out.
Grade: D+
Round 5, Pick 153: Deantre Prince, CB, Ole Miss
Considering the problems the Jaguars faced in the secondary last year, there’s a feeling that Deantre Prince could have forced himself into the reckoning for more snaps. But as you’d expect from a 5th round pick, the returns were sparse in what little game time he saw. Prince failed to see the field in five games where he was active, but bounced back nicely in the last game of the season, recording five tackles (four solo) and one pass breakup against the Indianapolis Colts. Hopefully things slowed down for Prince, and he can kick on in year 2.
Grade: C-
Round 5, Pick 167: Keilan Robinson, RB, Texas
It wouldn’t be a Trent Baalke draft class if there wasn’t a running back taken at some point. Despite a log jammed depth chart, Keilan Robinson was active every game of the season - presumably for his return prowess. The former Longhorn did not play until Week 12, had five offensive snaps all year, and touched the ball just twice all season (two kick returns against the Titans). Not the easiest situation to walk into and make an impact, and as a day three pick the expectations are of course capped - Robinson will be fighting for a roster spot in training camp.
Grade: D
Round 6, Pick 212: Cam Little, K Arkansas
Now THIS is the sort of production you can only dream of from a late day 3 pick! Cam Little earned the kicking job as a rookie for the Jaguars, playing in all 17 games in 22024. If that wasn’t enough value for a 6th round selection, he was devastatingly productive too - making all 27 extra points and missing just two of 29 field goal attempts. ‘Consistent’ is a boring word for most, but the dream for a kicker - and Little hit everything under forty yards and was almost perfect from even further out. Jacksonville has it’s kicker for the next decade, maybe more.
Grade: A
Round 7, Pick 236: Myles Cole, EDGE, Texas Tech
Can you expect anything from the 236th pick in any draft class? Perhaps not. Some would argue just making the roster is an achievement, which Myles Cole duly did. But more impressively he played 24 snaps in the first two weeks, registering his first tackle against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. Sure, Cole spent 9 weeks inactive - but being on a roster behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker and still seeing the field 135 times deserves some respect. The last coaching staff liked Cole - it will be interesting to see if he can improve on a solid start under the new regime in year 2.
Grade: C+