Jaguars don’t earn high position in several post-draft power rankings

The Jacksonville Jaguars came out of the 2021 NFL Draft with the best quarterback in the class, Trevor Lawrence. They also added a dynamic running back in Travis Etienne and fortified their secondary by taking cornerback Tyson Cambell and safety Andre Cisco. However, the Jags’ draft selections barely moved the needle in several power rankings.

Dan Hanzus of NFL Media ranked the Jags 30th and wonders if Lawrence is really the ‘next Andrew Luck’ because if that’s the case, he thinks they could take a massive leap in the standings. Also, he believes that it isn’t crazy to picture them competing for a playoff spot late in the season but says that if Jacksonville improves, their franchise quarterback will have to play a big role.

Matt Williamson of Pro Football Network had the Jaguars in the same spot. He also likes the addition of Lawrence but isn’t as optimistic as Hanzus and mentions that this Jacksonville team clinched the top pick in the draft because they weren’t very good.

Darrell Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston ranked the Jags a bit higher, 28 out of 32. He says that Lawrence automatically makes them better but thinks that Etienne was a bit of a reach in the first round. Nevertheless, he sees Jacksonville having growing pains and winning five or six games in 2021.

Why are the Jacksonville Jaguars ranked so low?

Nobody will deny Lawrence was the most talented quarterback prospect in the draft and the Jaguars have done a good job this offseason of adding depth and talent to a roster that lacked both in 2020. However, they have to take the field before they can see what kind of impact the changes they made will have. After all, they aren’t the only team that has looked for ways to improve.

To their credit, the Jags knew they had to shake things up if they wanted to turn things around. Not only did they bring in head coach Urban Meyer to oversee the rebuild but they also parted ways with David Caldwell and appointed Trent Baalke as the general manager and the duo has looked for ways to improve on and off the football field.

Anything from wanting new facilities to improving the air quality at TIAA Bank Field, the Jaguars’ brass is looking for ways to get better but ultimately, their performance on the field will be the best way to measure the impact of their offseason changes. In the meantime, they are still close to the cellar of the NFL. On the bright side, they can move up in the rankings if their draft class and their free-agent additions are as good as they expect.