Jacksonville Jaguars rookie review: 1st year defenders have made strides

The Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 rookie class has shown flashes of progress.

If you have followed the Jacksonville Jaguars for a while, you might’ve crossed your fingers at the time the 2020 NFL Draft was taking place. After all, general manager David Caldwell’s history of selecting playmakers in the players’ selection progress has been less than stellar.

We wouldn’t have been surprised if you shrugged when the Jaguars took cornerback C.J. Henderson with the ninth overall pick, defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson with the 20th overall selection. After years of disappointing drafting, we weren’t sure what to expect out of the Jaguars 2020 draft class, but after seven weeks (eight if you count the team’s bye) of football, we have a clear idea of what to expect.

Defensive coordinator Todd Wash had a sitdown with the local media and in it, he went over some of the strides the team’s rookie defenders have made since the season started. The rookie defenders the defensive coordinator talked about were defensive tackle Davon Hamilton, safety Daniel Thomas, and Chaisson.

Todd Wash talked about the progress some of the rookies are making.

Wash started by pointing out that Hamilton is a strong physical guy that has had the usual ups and downs any first-year player goes through. He added that the defensive tackle runs very hard and that the team can use him in plenty of different ways. Wash is pleased with the progress the Ohio State standout has made and says he is going to be a solid player for a while.

Later, Wash went on to talk about safety Daniel Thomas, who has dressed up for all games this season but hasn’t gotten much playing time. The coordinator says the Auburn product has a good skill set and has some playmaking ability. He also mentioned that the coaching staff is looking for ways to get him on the field in the upcoming weeks.

Later in the session, K’Lavon Chaisson’s name came up. Wash said the LSU standout has had some good rushes, has displayed flashes, and has shown the ability to beat opposing players. The team has made a list of the things he needs to do to get better, but the coordinator pointed to the lack of an offseason program as one of the reasons why the rookie hasn’t had a bigger impact.

The Jaguars have a poor record choosing difference-makers in the draft but it seems like this year may be different. Even though the early returns haven’t been out of this world, they surely look better than the ones the organization has gotten in previous years. It looks like just a matter of time before this year’s rookies become key contributors for this Jacksonville team.