Jaguars 2023 NFL Draft: 3 winners and 3 losers from Day 2
Jaguars draft Tank Bigsby and Brenton Strange: 3 winners
3. Jaguars RB coach Bernie Parmalee
When you hear about the Jaguars' success in 2022, running backs coach Bernie Parmalee won't be often brought up. However, he's got a pretty good track record of getting the most of his players, whether it's James Robinson, Travis Etienne or even JaMycal Hasty.
Urban Meyer is a persona non-grata in Jacksonville but one of the few right decisions he made during his short sting as the head coach of the Jaguars was hiring Parmalee. This is why it's telling that Doug Pederson decided to retain him even though he brought most of his guys with him.
Now, Parmalee has another running back that he can shape and if he's able to untap Bigsby's potential, his profile around the league will get a huge boost.
2. The Jaguars tight end room
In a different universe, the Jaguars would have drafted a tight end in Round 1. Maybe they could've selected Notre Dame's Michael Mayer or Iowa's Sam LaPorta. But on Earth 616, they went with a variant of Brenton Strange.
Nobody will deny Mayer or LaPorta would have been great additions to the Jaguars' tight end rooms but wasn't a bad pic. In fact, he's got huge upside and could develop into a dynamic starter in the NFL.
The Jags managed to keep Evan Engram for at least one more year after placing the franchise tag on him. If they aren't able to strike a long-term deal and he leaves in 2023, Strange could be a worthy replacement.
1. Tre Herndon
Cornerback was and still is one of the Jaguars' biggest decisions, which is why it's kind of surprising to see the front office ignore the position in the draft. General manager Trent Baalke told the local media that they feel comfortable with Tre Herndon, who has helped them win games in the past.
Trent Baalke says that Tre Herndon is the #Jaguars CB3 right now. Says they won a lot of football games last year with their current top 3 corners, and likes the younger, developing guys.
— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) April 29, 2023
... does note they'll be on the look-out on Day 3
Having gone undrafted in 2018, Herndon is a great inspirational story. However, he's not the long-term answer at the nickel position. The Jaguars need to round out their cornerback group and they passed up the chance to draft Deonte Banks, Cam Smith, and Joey Porter Jr. the top prospects at the position.
While there's a chance the Jaguars will turn their focus to the cornerback position ahead of Day 3 of the draft, Herndon seems to be in a favorable position. When everything is said and done, it wouldn't be shocking to see him in the Jaguars' starting lineup in Week 1.