There's no doubt that the Jacksonville Jaguars hit it when they drafted wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. last year. Right off the bat, he gave them a bona fide No. 1 who added an element of verticality that the offense had been missing for years. Having said that, he's far from the only member of their 2024 draft class that had an impact last season, which is why their spot in a recent ranking is puzzling.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus ranked all draft classes in 2024 for all 32 NFL teams and placed Jacksonville at No. 15, pointing out that Thomas made an impact right off the bat but didn't get many snaps out of other rookies.
"Jacksonville ranked 26th in snaps accrued by rookies, but its newcomers were impactful when on the field. First-round receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was extremely efficient and effective with an 83.4 PFF receiving grade and 2.54 yards per route run, and third-round cornerback Jarrian Jones registered an outstanding 88.5 PFF run-defense grade on 699 total defensive snaps. No other Jaguars rookie played even 405 snaps, including second-round defensive lineman Maason Smith, who struggled to a 43.7 PFF overall grade."
Thomas hauled in 82 receptions for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns in 2024, but he's not the only impact rookie for the Jags, even if the playing time doesn't reflect it. Third-round pick Jarrian Jones held his own in the slot and ended up logging a significant 699 defensive snaps. He's slated to once again hold a spot in the starting lineup next season.
On the other hand, Maason Smith got off to a slow start but showed notable improvement as the 2024 season progressed. He's now set to make an even bigger leap in 2025. Another draft pick who had an immediate impact for Jacksonville was kicker Cam Little, who completed over 93 percent of his attempts and went 5-of-6 from 50 yards out. After years of looking for stability, the former Arkansas Razorback at last stopped the revolving door.
On a related note, Thomas was just named the team's most underpaid player because of the impact he made.
That's four rookies who had an impact right off the bat. Then again, there are a couple reasons, aside from the dearth of snaps, that are dragging down the Jaguars' 2024 draft class.
The rest of the 2024 NFL Draft class left a bit to be desired last season
While the Jaguars got lots of production from Brian Thomas Jr. and other rookies, some of their other draft picks left a bit to be desired. Fourth-rounder Jordan Jefferson was a solid run stuffer but not much else. Running back Keilan Robinson dealt with injuries last year and didn't log a single snap. The same is true for offensive tackle Javon Foster, who was a healthy scratch throughout most of the year.
Cornerback Deantre Prince (Round 5) and defensive end Myles Cole (Round 7) didn't do much of note either. When you add it all up, the Jags' spot in the draft rankings makes sense. Another thing that might have played a role in the positioning was their underwhelming 4-13 record. How can you say that you have a good rookie class when it doesn't show either on the field or the scoreboard?
Having said that, the Jacksonville Jaguars found four building blocks last year, and if they get a bit more production from the rest of their draft class, they should fare much better in future power rankings.
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