Is Fred Taylor the best Jags draft pick ever?

Fred Taylor is an all-time great running back both for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the NFL. But is he their best draft pick?

Putting together a list of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ best draft picks will be a relatively short exercise. There haven’t been a lot of players that stand head and shoulders above the rest in the team’s relatively short tenure.

But one of those players is running back Fred Taylor.

Among the best running backs in the history of the NFL (16th most yards all-time) and easily the best back in the history of the franchise, it’s easy to make a case for Taylor being the best draft pick ever for the team.

Jim Reineking at NFL.com also makes that case:

"Taylor played 11 seasons in Jacksonville, compiled seven 1,000-yard rushing seasons and finished as the franchise’s all-time leader in rushing yardage with 11,271. Taylor was a part of four Jaguars teams that reached the playoffs, including the franchise’s final playoff appearance in 2007."

When Taylor took the ball on a hand off or caught it on a pass , good things were about to happen. He had a flair for the spectacular and would often break any play for a big gain. He had talent that simply isn’t teachable, it’s something that just is.

Which makes his selection quite possibly a slam dunk.

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Yet it also overlooks another all-time Jags great: offensive tackle Tony Boselli.

Boselli, whose playing days were unfortunately limited due to injury, was one of the best offensive linemen to play the game during his seven seasons on the field. He was the team’s first draft choice and they clearly knocked it out of the park, constantly being rewarded by his superb play game after game after game.

It’s a shame he is often overlooked.

Measuring an offensive lineman isn’t as flashy as a running back, wide receiver, or quarterback. There aren’t decisive moments when you can simply compare blocking ability against another player. Boselli, though, is widely recognized as one of the best of the bunch.

Does his play on the offensive line trump Taylor’s excitement and relative longevity? That’s likely a personal question for most Jacksonville Jaguars fans. Both of them were something special, but in the debate of who was the best draft pick it will likely come down to personal preference.