Parker Washington & Tank Bigsby making Jaguars' 2023 NFL Draft class look much better

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2023 NFL Draft with nine picks but ended up making 13 selections after a series of trades. At first sight, that looks like a productive have. After all, the more tickets you get, the more chances you have to win the lottery. However, the Jags got minimal production from their rookie class last year. The good news is that Parker Washington and Tank Gigsby are making it look much better after a couple of preseason outings.

Washington had a 73-yard kickoff return in the preseason opener and later had a 25-yard touchdown reception in Week 2. For his part, Bigsby has logged 65 rushing yards, 62 of them after contact, according to Jacob Gibbs of Fantasy Football Today.

Both performances are noteworthy because Bigsby and Washington didn't do much of note in 2023. Granted, the latter was a sixth-round selection but the broader point is that the Jags drafted 13 players last year and only a few of them made an impact.

The first one was Anton Harrison, who not only had to get acclimated to the NFL but also had to switch to right tackle after mostly playing on the left side at Oklahoma. The Washington D.C. native struggled at first but finished the season strong, not giving up a sack in the last nine games. Another stud from the Jacksonville 2023 draft class was defensive back Antonio Johnson.

A fifth-round pick, Johnson was projected to go late in the first or early in the second but ended up taking a slide. Nevertheless, the Texas A&M standout made the most of his chances and got more playing time as the season progressed. By the end of the season, he had supplanted incumbent Tre Herndon at nickel. The fact that the East St. Louis, Illinois native did it despite missing four games with a hamstring injury makes his success even more impressive in retrospect.

But apart from Johnson and Harrison, the Jaguars' 2023 draft failed to make an impact. Second-round pick Brenton Strange was passed on the depth chart by fellow tight end Luke Farrell. Bigsby made several costly mistakes that led to turnovers while fourth-round pick Tyler Lacy got minimal playing time. Linebacker Ventrell Miller, the team's other fourth-round selection, missed the year after tearing his ACL in the summer.

Those were the Jags' top draft picks. Their late-round selections, Antonio Johnson notwithstanding, weren't much different. As noted before, Washington barely played, hauling in 16 receptions for 132 yards with two touchdowns. Linebacker Yasir Abdullah (fifth round) made the roster but was a healthy stretch for most of the year. Safety Erick Hallett II (sixth round) landed in the practice squad, while offensive guard Cooper Hodges (sixth round) sat out his rookie campaign with a patella injury.

Seventh-round picks Raymond Vohasek and Derek Parish are no longer on the team, so it's fair that the 2023 rookie class left much to be desired. The silver lining is that things are beginning to change.

Parker Washington and Tank Bigsby are set to have an impact for the Jaguars in 2024

As promising as Parker Washington and Tank Bigsby have looked, it's important to point out that their performances have come in the preseason, not the regular season. This isn't to minimize what they've done but rather put it in context. Both of them are trending in the right direction but have yet to produce when it matters.

It's also worth noting that Bigsby and Washington are slated to have complementary roles between Travis Etienne and Christian Kirk respectively, so unless the injury bug strikes and the Jaguars hope it won't, expectations must be tempered.

On the other hand, Tyler Lyce has also shown progress and should be able to carve a niche on the defensive line rotation. That makes it three players besides Anton Harrison and Antonio Johnson who are poised to become steady contributors.

The Jaguars will surely want to see more from Brenton Strange but it's fair to say that their 2023 draft class looks much better than it did after a disappointing end to last season.

More Jaguars analysis here: