Draftees the Jaguars regret ignoring in favor of Jay Tufele in the 2021 NFL Draft

The Jaguars could've drafted Rhamondre Stevenson in 2021

At the time of the 2021 draft, the Jags had James Robinson in the fold. An undrafted free agent the year prior, the former Illinois State Redbird was a revelation in his rookie season, totaling over 1,400 yards from scrimmage. But as productive as he was, that didn't stop Jacksonville from taking Travis Etienne 25th overall.

That year, Carlos Hyde was RB3 on the depth chart. That may've prevented the team's brass from investing yet another pick at the position. But with the benefit of hindsight, the Jaguars would've been better off taking Rhamondre Stevenson instead of Jay Tufele at No. 106.

While Hyde went on to have an underwhelming season in Jacksonville and is out of the league, Stevenson became a key cog in the New England Patriots' backfield. The Oklahoma product had somewhat of a quiet rookie season, amassing 133 carries for 605 yards with five touchdowns. However, he showed in 2022 what he was capable of doing when he hit his stride, toting the rock 210 times for 1,040 yards with five trips to the endzone.

An ankle injury cut his 2023 season short but Stevenson still managed a respectable 619 yards on 156 carries with four touchdowns.

For the sake of argument, let's say Stevenson had gone to the Jags in 2021. Their rushing attack might've still suffered a dropoff after Etienne sustained a Lisfranc injury. However, he would've likely formed a productive tandem alongside Robinson.

Late in 2021, Robinson also went down with an Achilles tear. Having Stevenson in the fold could've softened the blow of his absence. Moreover, Jacksonville might not have drafted Snoop Conner the following year if they had gone with Stevenson instead of Tufele.