Jacksonville Jaguars earn recognition in PFF’s list of top players from 2022

The Jacksonville Jaguars turned heads when they beat the Tennesse Titans in the 2022 season finale to advance to the playoffs. However, they didn’t stop there and later defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Super Wild Card weekend. Following their successful turnaround, the Jags are starting to earn the attention of the national media, with two of their players showing up in Pro Football Focus’ list of 101 players from last year.

Sam Monson of PFF ranked the top 101 players from the 2022 season and he included Trevor Lawrence (No. 94) and cornerback Tyson Campbell (No. 90). While neither one made the top 50, it’s worth noting that not many Jaguars made the cut in previous years, so this should be counted as a step in the right direction.

This is the second time Lawrence and Campbell make a top 100 list this offseason. They, along with running back Travis Etienne, appeared in ESPN’s ranking of the 100 most valuable players of the 2022 season. Seth Walder, who was responsible for ESPN’s ranking, gave Lawrence and Campbell the eighth and 49th, respectively, while Etienne landed at No. 90.

All three players are part of the Jaguars’ 2021 draft class, which is turning out to be the best one they’ve had in recent years. Lawrence was the first overall pick, Etienne was No. 24, and Campbell was selected with the 33rd pick. Moreover, Walker Little (45th overall pick) could potentially step in at right tackle if Jawaan Taylor leaves in free agency. Similarly, safety Andre Cisco has become a force in the Jacksonville secondary.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will garner more attention if they keep winning in 2023

You could argue that the national media has overlooked the Jaguars in recent years but the truth is that it was hard to justify giving them extensive coverage when you take into account that before 2022, they had won more than six games in a season just once since 2008.

On the bright side, it will be hard to keep the Jags out of the spotlight after the success they enjoyed last season. They have a solid foundation in place to win football games and one of the league’s most exciting young stars in Trevor Lawrence.

Back in 2017, Jacksonville won the AFC South and advanced to the Conference championship. However, they quickly fell back into irrelevance. Due to the presence of Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson, it’s hard to envision the Jags regressing the way they did after the 2017 season. In fact, there’s a good chance they’ll be even better moving forward.

Trevor Lawrence and Tyson Campbell may or may not have deserved a higher spot on PFF’s list of top 101 players. Either way, they got the nod, which means analysts around the league are taking notice of the progress the Jacksonville Jaguars have made since the end of the 2021 season, and that should be counted as a victory.