Jaguars Have Excelled at Drafting Running Backs

Before general manager David Caldwell took over the franchise in 2013, the Jacksonville Jaguars weren’t exactly renowned for their top notch drafting. Former GM Shack Harris had a very poor record with first round picks, and his successor Gene Smith might have been the worst general manager in the history of modern sports.

Still, the Jaguars have managed to find a few decent players in the draft over the last decade or so, with the majority of their draft value coming from the running back position. Joe Redemann over at numberFire recently wrote up a post about which teams have drafted offensive players the best since 2000, and the Jaguars were tops at drafting running backs:

"The top of our efficiency chart goes to the somewhat-surprising Jacksonville Jaguars. Though recency bias pegs Maurice Jones-Drew(233.5 career Total NEP) as a slowed-down plodder who busted in Oakland, his career with the Jaguars was fairly prolific, especially considering his status as just the 60th Overall pick (300.0 points). Rashad Jennings (38.5 career Total NEP) –- though he’s had a modest career -– was also a large boon, based on his cost at 250th Overall (0.0 points)."

The Jaguars make it to the top of the rankings on the strength of Maurice Jones-Drew and the outstanding career he put together during his time in Jacksonville. One of the best running backs of his generation, MJD was a terrific value at the end of the 2nd round.

Rashad Jennings also gets a mention since he was a good value in the 7th round, but he’s amassed most of his productivity on other teams.

Running back probably isn’t the ideal position to be great at drafting, but it’s nice to see the Jaguars were able to do something right over the last decade-plus.

Next: Offensive Line Needs to Prove It

More from Black and Teal

Home/Jaguars Draft