Jaguars 2021 draft class didn’t make meaningful impact right off the bat

A good draft class can quickly change the fortunes of an NFL team and propel them into playoff contention. Unfortunately, the opposite is true and a bad batch can hold a team back. While the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2021 draft class has plenty of upside it didn’t get a positive review in a recent ranking.

The Pro Football Focus staff recently ranked every NFL rookie class based on first-year production and the Jags popped up near the bottom at No. 30. PFF says that Jacksonville was always going to live and die with Trevor Lawrence’s performance and the results weren’t particularly impressive.

"There are plenty of excuses to be made for Lawrence, but the results were far from impressive. Lawrence finished the season ranked 27th among 32 qualifying quarterbacks in PFF grade, and Jacksonville didn’t get any production from their other first-round pick Travis Etienne following his preseason injury."

PFF notes that Lawrence was arguably the best quarterback of the 2021 class and adds that he already plays like a veteran in the pocket. Nevertheless, he also made several mistakes and had the third-most “turnover-worthy” plays in the league last season. Moreover, the Jags didn’t get a single snap from their other first-round selection, running back Travis Etienne. On a positive note, PFF points out that safety Andre Cisco went on to start three games at the end of the season and posted grades over 75.0 in two of them.

It’s too early to give up in the Jaguars’ 2021 draft class.

The only draft classes ranked lower than the Jaguars’ were the Minnesota Vikings’ and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ but the latter team was coming off a Super Bowl appearance and they brought all their starters from both sides of the ball last year, so their rookies weren’t going to see the field much.

Going back to the Jaguars’ 2021 draft class, there’s a good chance their top four picks will make a significant leap in Year 2. For starters, Lawrence made better decisions with the ball as the year went on and should be even better if the front offices get him more weapons. Etienne missed his rookie campaign after suffering a Lisfranc injury in the preseason. However, he should be available in training camp.

On the other hand, offensive tackle Walker Little and Cisco played well once they were given the chance to show what they could do. Little also started the last two games of the 2021 season and went on to post PFF grades of 77.2 and 70.5 while giving up no sacks and just one total pressure. It wouldn’t be shocking to see either Cisco or Little have starting roles in 2022.

While the Jaguars need to nail most of their 2022 draft picks, they will also need their 2021 rookie class to step up if they want to see considerable improvement on the field. Based on a small sample, that’s fairly feasible.