The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the most dominant teams in pro football. After their latest win against the middling Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night, the Jags look primed and ready to represent the AFC in this season's Super Bowl.
However, I should stress that the key words are this season.
Throughout the year, we've hinted at Jacksonville's projected lack of returning talent. DaVon Hamilton, Anton Harrison, and Parker Washington are just three of the stars James Gladstone has failed to lock down before the 2026 campaign started.
Josh Cameron has been good enough to take someone's spot in 2027, and Emmanuel Pregnon usurped a starting role during training camp. That being said, this year's rookie class has way more disappointments than bright spots heading into the meat of the team's schedule.
The current crop of young bucks contributes enough to help Liam Coen execute his short-term vision, but will they provide the depth needed to accomplish his long-term plans? Let's take a look to find out.
Nate Boerkircher is the best TE2 the Jaguars could ask for
You all just don't know how much I love to admit when I was wrong. I, like many others, hated the idea of picking a backup tight end in the second round after Gladstone was unable to get back into the first. Now, I can see the same dreams coach Coen did a couple of days before the draft.
Boerkircher caught 19 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns during his lone season at Texas A&M. The lackluster production in a pass-happy era led to him being labeled a pure blocker.
In an interesting turn, Boerkircher has already gained 144 yards and reached the end zone twice on only nine grabs. With nine games left in his rookie campaign, the 25-year-old's positioned to dwarf his collegiate stats and continue helping his head coach add a few wrinkles to the team's offense.
Grade: That earns you an A, pal.
Albert Regis only has one solo tackle this season
And, in the spirit of kindness, that's the only blurb I'll write about this young man after such a great team win. The bulk of Baltimore's rushing yards were gained in garbage time. DaVon Hamilton's absence was the biggest reason for their success, but Albert Regis' extremely small impact didn't help either.
Grade: Gladstone gets an F for this one until further notice.
Emmanuel Pregnon is playing as well as any Jaguars O-Lineman
Pro Football Focus currently ranks Emmanuel Pregnon as the 72nd-best guard in professional football. After the flags he drew against the Ravens, I'm inclined to agree.
I'm not worried about Big Oregon's slow development as a starter. If you can show me a better player behind him on the depth chart, then go right ahead. I don't think you can, but that might be a bigger problem than Jacksonville's 6-2 start will let us realize.
Grade: He's a starter on a great team and doesn't ever look like he doesn't belong. I'm giving this a B-.
Jalen Huskey has a long way to go, man
In three games played, Huskey has three total tackles (one solo) and one sack. However, that overview is deceptive, as the Maryland alum tallied all of those numbers against the Indianapolis Colts.
There really isn't much to say here. Injuries will force the coaching staff to play him more. Maybe he'll show us why the team's scouts felt so great about him then.
Grade: No quip here. A third round pick working out this poorly is an F.
Wesley Williams could be one and done with the Jaguars
Everyone's calling for the front office to trade for a pass rusher, but they drafted a defensive end in the fourth round! How about --
Grad; Here's a quick F before everyone gets fined.
Tanner Koziol could be a very valuable depth piece down the stretch
Koziol doesn't get the ball much as the Jaguars' TE4, but he's grown as a blocker and fits well within Liam Coen's scheme. He had two receptions for 15 yards and a first down against Baltimore, so there's been flashes.
Quintin Morris has some of the best battle cries in the business, but there's no guarantee he'll be here in 2027. Koziol is a lock to, at the very least, be the squad's third-string tight end before it's all said and done. However, the NFL's punishing job description for the former Houston Cougar's position group could lead to him getting way more snaps if a veteran goes down.
He's doing as much as a fifth-round pick who got drafted into a deep position group can
Grade: He gets a C+ since he hasn't done anything to show he wasn't a good pick for this area of the draft order.
Josh Cameron's cooled off as a receiver, but not as a special teamer
The Baylor Bear has as many touchdowns as Nate Boerkircher despite being drafted for his run-blocking and punt-returning skills. Going into training camp, Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter were the names to watch as Parker Washington separated himself as the team's WR1. Now, Cameron looks like he'll be taking BTJ's snaps this season or the next.
Even better, Cameron has been a demon while running down punts and a hidden weapon on kickoff returns. The 191st-overall pick has been a pound-for-pound steal, and he'll definitely be one of the guys we see on the Dream Finders Homes billboards in a couple of years.
Grade: Could be the best pick of the class considering where he was drafted. A+.
Don't like the scores so far? These Jaguars won't even get a grade
WR CJ Williams, EDGE Zach Durfee, and LB Parker Hughes were all drafted at positions of current or future need. Through eight games and a bye week, two have been shut down for the season, and Williams has been nonexistent.
At the tail end of a 10-pick draft, you're going to see some guys who won't make the team for various reasons. Getting put on IR means that Durfee and Hughes showed some level of potential during camp. Williams, however, hasn't even done enough during the regular season to merit a rant.
Unlike Regis and Huskey, Williams hasn't registered a stat. Wesley Williams hasn't either, but he's a 4-3 DE who was picked in the fourth round. The Duke product should have earned a spot in the rotation by now, which warrants an "F" bolder than the city he plays for.
Things are going so well with the starters and key backups that the Jags won't need to rush these players' development. However, CJ Williams is at the very bottom of the roster and was selected in the sixth round. In other words, he could be cut, and the team wouldn't miss him.
Don't be too appalled. That actually could happen, since Jacksonville would need a roster spot after making a move by the trade deadline anyway.
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