Jacksonville Jaguars’ 5 Worst Draft Picks

November 18, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich (4) reacts on the sidelines late in the game against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Baltimore Ravens won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Draft is nearly upon us.  It’s no fun just to look forward at who the Jacksonville Jaguars will pick up this year, so let’s take a look back and examine some of the worst picks in Jaguars draft history.

1)  R. Jay Soward, 29 overall, 2000

• Soward didn’t do much of anything for the Jaguars, making this pick pretty much a waste.  He had some serious substance abuse issues and discipline problems.  He was chauffeured to and from practice at the team’s expense, only appeared in 13 games, and only recorded 108 yards.  He was out of the league by the end of the year.  He went on to play in the Canadian Football league from 2004-2006 but never lived up to the potential the Jags had for him.

2)  Derrick Harvey, 8 overall, 2008

• The Jaguars have needed pass rush help since before the days of Harvey, but Harvey was supposed to be the answer. The Jags were sold on his potential and his ability to affect plays on every down….and then we got just eight sacks out of him.  He held out for 38 days before getting a contract he wanted ($17.7 million guaranteed).  But the worst part about it may be that the team jumped up 18 spots to get him.  Pick number 26 ended up becoming Duane Brown, a reliable, Pro Bowl offensive tackle for the Houston Texans.

3)  Matt Jones, 21 overall, 2005

• Somehow Matt Jones, the quarterback turned wide receiver, just never made sense.  The guy put up some ridiculous measurables at the NFL combine but nobody was willing to take a chance on him until the Jaguars figured why not? Jones flamed out in spectacular fashion with substance abuse charges, suspensions, and an inability to ever translate any of his freakish athleticism into anything close to NFL wide receiver play.

4)  Reggie Williams, 9 overall, 2004

• The year before drafting Matt Jones, the Jaguars took a shot at Reggie Williams at wide receiver.  Williams showed some skill at times, he would inevitably revert back to poor play in short order.  Williams had some fun moments but he never had over 629 yards in a season and finished his career with 2,322 yards in 79 games (29.4 yards per game). Williams’ most notable achievement is holding the franchise record for touchdown catches in a season (10) in 2007.

5) Byron Leftwich, 7 overall, 2003

• The early to mid 2000s were a rough time for the Jaguars.  Byron Leftwich came to Jacksonville to be “the guy.”  He took over in game four of his rookie season and we all cringed from them on.  Leftwich had a big arm but a ridiculous windup and never saw the field very well.  He finished his four years in Jacksonville with a 24-20 record as a starter. I still wonder what it would have been like if David Garrard had started in the playoffs instead of Leftwich in 2005.

Anybody you guys think should be on the list who isn’t?

– Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims