Picking 5th in the NFL Draft is a good omen for the Jacksonville Jaguars

A 20-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans may have ended the Jacksonville Jaguars’ hopes of landing the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.

While many fans will be disappointed that they won’t get the first crack at some top-end talent, such as two-way start Travis Hunter, their team’s current position in the draft isn’t all that bad.

Heading into the final week of the season, they hold the No. 5 overall pick, which historically has panned out well for those lucky enough to hold that selection.

The Jaguars got a game-changer the last time they picked 5th overall

This franchise has had its share of high-end draft choices since coming into the NFL but hasn't had the fifth overall selection in a while. The last time they did, they got an immediate impact player on the defensive side of the ball.

In 2016, they selected cornerback Jalen Ramsey from Florida State. A year later, Ramsey, along with A.J. Bouye, transformed the Jaguars into a Super Bowl contender, with Doug Marrone’s group boasting arguably the best cover unit in the entire NFL at that time.

While it didn’t end well for Ramsey in Jacksonville, the 2017 All-Pro corner, had a high stock in 2019, enabling the Jags to get some decent compensation for him. Ramsey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in October 2019, for a first-round pick in 2020, plus a first and fourth-rounder the following year.

One of those big names ended up being Travis Etienne, who was selected by the Jags in 2021 alongside his Clemson teammate Trevor Lawrence in the opening round.

A recent history of NFL teams picking at No. 5

Ramsey is one of the many players chosen at No. 5 in the NFL Draft who’s quickly transitioned to the pros and made an immediate impact.

In 2024, the Los Angeles Chargers selected Joe Alt, and the Notre Dame product has been a stud for Jim Harbaugh’s team on the offensive line. Alt has a pass-blocking efficiency of 97.5 with a run-blocking grade of 74.0 while allowing only 20 pressures.

Before him, the Seahawks picked Devon Witherspoon at that same spot in the 2023 draft, and he made the Pro Bowl that same year with 16 passes defended.

In the same draft class as Lawrence and Etienne, the Bengals Ja’Marr Chase was the fifth overall pick, far and away the best receiver in the NFL this season, with 1,162 yards through the air. He’s on track to be a First-team All-Pro for the first time in his career, electrifying the league with his play, while he’s made the Pro Bowl in every one of his NFL seasons thus far.

Tua Tagovailoa, the No. 5 choice in 2020, led the league in passing yards last season (4,624) and had the highest passer rating in 2022 (105.5)

The year before Tua’s selection, we saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose Devin White, with the LSU linebacker being named a second-team All-Pro in his sophomore campaign. That same season in 2020, he was huge in the biggest game, making 12 tackles and intercepting an end zone pass from Patrick Mahomes in his team’s Super Bowl triumph versus the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bradley Chubb heard his name called at No. 5 in 2018 by the Denver Broncos, and the North Carolina State product already has two Pro Bowl selections in six seasons. He registered 12 sacks in his rookie campaign in the Mile-High City.

Since Ramsey’s selection at No. 5 in 2016, only two players chosen at that spot have not made the Pro Bowl: Corey Davis (Tennessee Titans) in 2017 and the New York Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux in 2022.

The only other Jag to be selected at No. 5 was Justin Blackmon, who set a franchise rookie receiving yards record in 2012 (865). Brian Thomas Jr. broke that mark earlier this season.