Jacksonville Jaguars’ 5 Best Draft Picks

September 30, 2012; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars former player Fred Taylor and team owner Shahid Khan during half time the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ short draft history gives pretty clear indication of when this team had quality front office heads and when this team had…less quality from office heads.  We’re going to take a look at five of the best draft picks the Jaguars have ever hard.  Thank you Tom Coughlin.

1)  Tony Boselli, 2 overall, 1995

• The Jags’ first ever draft pick was a home run.  Boselli was a superb left tackle for the Jaguars with Hall of Fame potential.  If it hadn’t been for some shoulder problems, Boselli would have made the Hall.  Not enough good things can be said about the man and he is worthy of every honor the franchise can ever give him.

2)  Fred Taylor, 9 overall, 1999

• Unfairly considered fragile, Taylor was a consistent presence in the Jaguars’ backfield for 140 games over 11 careers.  He owns almost every rushing record for the team, but that doesn’t begin to describe the fluid way he ran the ball.  He wasn’t afraid of taking hits but it was his ability to make running the ball look so easy that made Taylor such a great player.  He only ever made the Pro Bowl once (2007) but he should have received so many more nominations.

3)  Marcus Stroud, 13 overall, 2001

• Stroud made the Jaguars defense great.  He managed to rack up 22 sacks in seven seasons with the Jaguars from the defensive tackle position but, like Taylor, his play goes well beyond the numbers. When Stroud was in the middle (with the guy at number 5 on this list) the defense had opportunities other teams on dreamed of.  He created pressure up the middle that was relentless.  He made the defense around him better. His ’02 season with 6.5 sacks, six passes defended, and three fumbles was absolutely ridiculous.

4)  Maurice Jones-Drew, 60 overall, 2006

• Maurice Jones-Drew won’t ever forgive teams for passing on him in round one, and that’s a good thing.  Pocket Hercules was the perfect complement to Freddy T in his earlier years and is such a playmaker that even when teams have no threat besides him he still wins the rushing title (2011).  The Jaguars haven’t had a kick returner like MJD since he stopped taking the duties.

5)  John Henderson, 9 overall, 2002

• Henderson and Stroud made the best defensive tackle tandem in the league (it’s a fact, look it up).  He helped collapse the pocket from the interior every play and notched 29 sacks for the Jags over eight years.  Something special could happen every time he lined up.  His player with Stroud in the middle of the defense opened things up for the rest of the D to make plays.  He helped give the Jaguars their mean defense identity during his time with the team.

Anybody you guys think should be on this list as well?

– Luke N. Sims

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