Ranking Jaguars 2021 draft picks: Who’s at the top?

No. 2 Jaguars 2021 draft rankings: Trevor Lawrence, QB

As soon as the Jaguars clinched the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, Trevor Lawrence was linked to them, and it’s easy to see why. Although Zach Wilson and Justin Fields were fine prospects coming out of college, neither one was as highly touted as the former Clemson Tiger coming out of college.

But Lawrence couldn’t just wave a magic wand and grant wins to the Jaguars. In fact, Mac Jones and Davis Mills — lower-ranked prospects — went on to have better rookie campaigns than Lawrence because the Jaguars failed to effectively put them in a position to succeed.

With a better supporting cast and a competent head coach in Doug Pederson, Lawrence has improved in Year 2. However, he’s still a work in progress and might need another season to prove he’s the Jaguars’ long-answer at quarterback.

No. 1 Jaguars 2021 draft rankings: Travis Etienne, RB

Trevor Lawrence will probably have the biggest impact down the road but running back Travis Etienne is arguably the Jaguars’ best player right now. The former Clemson Tiger was set to have an important role on offense in 2021 but he suffered a Lisfranc injury in the preseason that ended his rookie season before it started.

Etienne started the 2022 season behind James Robinson on the depth chart but he saw his workload steadily increase and has gone on to become one of the top running backs in the NFL. He’s averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has logged 100 rushing yards or more in three of the last four games. Looking back, trading James Robinson to the New York Jets might not have been such a bad idea.