Jacksonville Jaguars 2023 midseason team awards
• Here's a recognition for some of the players who've made it possible
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive rookie of the year: Anton Harrison, RT
This year, the Jags had a pick outside the top 10 of the first round for the first time since 2018, when they selected defensive end Taven Bryan 29th overall. This time, they chose to fortify the other side of the trenches and took Anton Harrison to fill the void Jawaan Taylor left when he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
Harrison had mostly lined up at left tackle at Oklahoma but has had a relatively seamless transition to the right side. He struggled in Week 2 but has progressively gotten better each week. Although he's had a few ups and downs — just like any other rookie would — he's shown enough to make you think he could be a mainstay of the Jaguars' offensive line for years to come.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive rookie of the year: Vacant
The Jags entered the 2023 draft with nine picks but came out with 13 players. Surprisingly, their first defensive selection came in the fourth round, when they chose Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller. The team's brass went on to make seven more picks and six of them were on the defensive side of the ball.
While that was a good decision from a depth standpoint, none of the Jaguars' defensive rookies have had meaningful playing time in 2023. This is because their starting jobs on that side of the ball were already assigned before the start of the season.
Based on how well the unit is playing, Jacksonville will need to wait at least a year to see this year's rookie defensive class in action. For the time being, the DROY Award remains vacant.