Same 'ol situation: 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars are trending toward disappointment

The 2023 Jaguars feel eerily similar to their 2018 counterpart

And here we go again in 2023. If this year's home game versus the Texans was eerily like the last one, then the 2023 season is starting off eerily similar to the 2018 one. You remember. The Jaguars went on a nice run in 2017, going 7-3 down the stretch to win the AFC South and then on to the AFC Championship Game where they would lose to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

The Jags basically stood pat in the off-season, with Andrew Norwell being the only signing of note. They intended to ride their top-ranked defense back to the AFC Championship Game and beyond in 2018. The Jaguars then went 5-11. Blake Bortles couldn't hit water when he fell out of a boat that year, and the defense became a dysfunctional unit of "Me, me, me," players.

The 2022 Jaguars went on a nice run last year, finishing 7-2 down the stretch en route to an AFC South crown and a matchup with the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. They stood pat in the offseason, with the midseason Calvin Ridley trade being the only move of note. They did nothing to address the glaring needs at pass rusher and offensive line. The Jaguars were going to ride their explosive offense to another division crown and beyond. This team is going to go 6-11, and I'm being generous. The wide receivers can't catch a cold of late and the defense on Sunday became a dysfunctional unit of "Who, what, where." As in "Who do I cover? Where's the ball? What's my name?"

The Jaguars number one pick last year Travon Walker didn't appear to know the answer to any of those questions on Sunday. Zero pressures, zero sacks, zero quarterback hits. Meanwhile in Detroit, Aidan Hutchinson, the No. 2 pick overall in last year's draft racked up NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

If Walker continues on his current path, he will be in danger of being put on the Mount Rushmore of Jaguar draft busts. Who should he replace? Taven Bryan? Justin Blackmon? Blaine Gabbert? Matt Jones? Will Walker crack the top ten and keep company with Blake Bortles, who once tried to ground the ball and bounced it off of T.J Yeldon's foot and into the waiting arms of the defender for an interception, Luke Joeckel, Reggie WIlliams, Dante Fowler, C.J. Henderson, and R.J. Soward?

Only time will tell, but time is running out for Walker as number one overall picks are expected to produce quickly and abundantly, something the guys on this list failed to do. This dubious list of draft duds also illustrates why resignation trumps all other emotions when it comes to the Jaguars. They have been so wrong about so many first-round draft picks. Hutchinson was NFL-ready. A polished pass rusher with a chip on his shoulder. Walker was a raw talent but a project. Number one picks shouldn't be projects.