Jacksonville Jaguars: 30 greatest players in franchise history
By John Buhler
52. . OT. (1995-01). Tony Boselli. 1. player
- Pride of the Jaguars (2006)
- NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
- 3x First-Team All-Pro (1997-99)
- 5x Pro Bowl (1996-00)
- First ever pick in franchise history (No. 2 in 1995 NFL Draft)
In case you didn’t know, the best player in Jaguars history is easily former franchise tackle Tony Boselli. Boselli was an incredible collegiate player at USC. He made three straight All-American first teams during his Trojans career. It was only fitting that the Jaguars would use their first-ever draft selection on the guy in the 1995 NFL Draft.
Jacksonville took Boselli No. 2 overall and got seven hall-of-fame worthy seasons out of the guy. Boselli played in 13 games, starting 12 as a rookie in 1995. However, it would be the very next season where Boselli entered his illustrious five-year prime.
Boselli made five straight trips to the Pro Bowl at left tackle from 1996 to 2000. Right in the middle of that five-year prime saw Boselli make three straight All-Pro first teams from 1997 to 1999. This helped Boselli eventually make the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He is the only Jaguars player to have made an All-Decade team up to this point.
In short, Boselli was so dominant at left tackle that it allowed an expansion team like the Jaguars to bolster one of the most complete offenses in all of football. They made it to a pair of AFC Championship Games in the midst of Boselli’s prime. However, that prime quickly faded.
Boselli became a shell of himself in the 2001 NFL season. He appeared in just three games in what was his final professional season in 2001. While Boselli would be notoriously taken as the Houston Texans’ first pick in the 2002 Expansion Draft, he was already too broken down physically to play again. Former No. 1 overall pick in quarterback David Carr wishes he was healthy…
Even though it has been nearly two decades since Boselli last played for the Jaguars, he could very well end up being the first former Jaguar to have his bust proudly displayed in Canton. Yes, he only played seven seasons, but was arguably the best left tackle in football for five of them.
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Seeing former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis get in with a similar career length and prime only aids in Boselli’s eventual candidacy. One would expect that he’ll hear his name called by the Pro Football Hall of Fame within the next decade or so. Regardless, Boselli became the first inductee into the Pride of the Jaguars back in 2006. Stay patient, as Boselli will be in Canton one day, hopefully very soon.