Jacksonville Jaguars: Post-Draft Grades and Analysis

How did the Jacksonville Jaguars really do in the NFL Draft? The staff at Black and Teal weigh in with their own grades.

No matter how you spin this, the Jacksonville Jaguars had some success in the NFL Draft. Which degree of success the team has will be decided when the 12 draft picks get on the field and perform.

There were some solid picks, especially in the first four rounds. And like every other team in the league, there were a few head-scratchers.

Given the depth of the picks (12 in all) and the needs apparently more dedicated to the defensive side of the ball, the Jaguars need at least half of the players chosen to pan out.

Truthfully, they need as many of these players to come in and show they are NFL ready. With almost every position taken – with the exception of running back, it will be interesting just how fast they get on the field, how soon they will start, and who can become this year’s Gardner Minshew – a player who takes the organization and the league by storm.

As a whole, I give the Jaguars a solid “B” for their effort.

The staff here at Black and Teal had a few thoughts on their own and wanted to give their own grades on how the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Anthony Robertson – My Draft Grade: A-

The Jags did well in the draft, they addressed needs but did not reach for anyone too badly. They did a good job of taking the best player available that filled some sort of need. It was clear they had a plan.

C.J. Henderson was a bit of a surprise to me because both CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy were available, however with Laviska Shenault Jr being taken in the second round, that pick makes a lot of sense. There were a lot of great picks in the mid-rounds, and those are the picks that win championships with proper development.

Grant Gunderson – My Draft Grade: B+

I think the first round was solid, but only time will tell how those picks play out. In the moment, I was criticizing the team for their pick of Henderson, but by the end of the round, they looked pretty smart to grab one of the top impact players at the position. I think they draft better on Friday than Thursday, personally.

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Shenault is a definite X-Factor and I’m excited to see what Jay Gruden can do with him. Picking up a wrecking ball like DaVon Hamilton for a new loon defense in 2020 actually was great value. Just a one-year starter as a senior at Ohio State, Hamilton is still healthy and doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear. Overall, I’m optimistic about the draft, but alas, time tells all.

Lorenzino Estrada – My Draft Grade: B

Jacksonville no doubt added a plethora of talent with its 12 picks, which primes the team to fast track its rebuilding process. Jacksonville succeeded in the early rounds with C.J. Henderson, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Laviska Shenault, but the teams day three picks didn’t wow like days one and two.

Character is the one word to describe this class, and the team should gain four to five impact players from this class.

Joshua Walker – My Draft Grade: A-

While in the moment some of the picks could be seen as questionable (C.J. Henderson at pick 9) once you take a step back and look at the overall class you see a well-rounded group of rookies with the opportunity to produce early and grow.

The NFL draft is a gamble and being able to place a franchise record 12 bets earns a high mark from me. My favorite pick was offensive lineman Ben Bartch, and the least favorite was safety Daniel Thomas.

Kathy Clark – My Draft Grade: B

I was very pleased with a great Jacksonville Jaguars draft. They went to a variety of players at a variety of positions to rebuild a very depleted roster.  They looked at character and work ethic in hopes of a more functional locker room atmosphere. I can’t give the draft an A because they didn’t draft a running back which made no sense if they are shopping Leonard Fournette.

Jesse Overby – My Draft Grade: B-

The Jaguars had multiple needs and they addressed all of them but one (RB) in the 2020 draft. But the draft isn’t just about picking players that fit a need, it’s about picking to address need while getting value for the position those players are selected.

The first four picks were very good value where they were selected and all filled needs, but there were a few picks that could have been used on players at other positions of need that may have been a better value.

Time will tell, but with 12 picks in this year’s draft and a lot of needs, they needed to hit on almost all of them. They had several very good hits, a few solid hits, and a few misses.