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5 worst Jaguars draft picks of the GM Trent Baalke era

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has had several hits in the NFL Draft over the last two years but also a few misses. Here are the worst five.

By Carlos Sanchez

Mar 1, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke talks to the media.
Mar 1, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke talks to the media. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
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No. 3 Jaguars worst pick of the Trent Baalke era: Jay Tufele, DT

This is an interesting pick because it seemed like the Jaguars moved on too soon from defensive tackle Jay Tufele, a fourth-round pick in 2021, last year. After all, the former USC Trojan quickly became an important piece of the Cincinnati Bengals rotation but he was limited by injuries and might be on the fringe ahead of the 2023 season.

Mostly seen as a run-stopper and not much of a pass rusher, Tufele appeared in two games as a rookie and logged two tackles. It looked like he was going to earn a role in the defensive line rotation but was waived before the start of the 2022 season. Cincy quickly swooped in and claimed him off waivers. At the time, the decision seemed a bit puzzling because the Jags had just drafted him the year prior. The good news is that they ended up not missing a beat.

In retrospect, cutting ties with Tufele showed that the Jaguars have done a good job of bolstering their defensive front. For the sake of argument, let's say he were still on the roster, do you think he would get playing time over sophomore De'Shaan Dixon or that he would get lots of playing time?

Maybe but there's an equal chance he would enter training camp needing to compete for a roster spot. That's why it's not necessarily a bad thing that the Jaguars' brass released him. They realized they had better options and decided to the page.

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