![Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) speaks during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6000,h_3375/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01js0cz2nahzjhbessc0.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) speaks during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
The Jacksonville Jaguars are undergoing a rebuild under head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone. Already, they've made upgrades to several positions in free agency, but if the new regime wants to see an immediate turnaround, it will need to ace most of their selections in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Of course, the biggest question ahead of the draft is who'll be the pick at No. 5. But even though the draft doesn't end in the first round, finding a game-changer will increase the team's odds of steering the ship in the right direction.
This begs the question, what kind of track record do the Jags have in the first round? With that in mind, here's a ranking of the last 10 selections they made on Day 1 of the draft.
10. CJ Henderson: 9th overall draft pick, 2020
Cornerback C.J. Henderson had the Herculean task of replacing Jalen Ramsey, who was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. For a very brief moment, it looked like he was up to the challenge.
Henderson flashed early as a rookie, but a groin injury brought his season to an end. Expected to bounce back in 2021, he instead missed a good chunk of training camp for a myriad of reasons, ranging from COVID-19 to a shoulder injury.
The former Florida Gator would go on to play for three games in 2021 before being abruptly traded to the Carolina Panthers. He didn't do much of note with them and later spent time with the Houston Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Henderson is currently unsigned, and it doesn't look like he'll latch onto a team, let alone live up to his draft billing, soon.
9. Taven Bryan, 29th overall draft pick in 2018
On paper, drafting Taven Bryan made sense. The Jaguars were looking for a replacement for veteran Malik Jackson, and he was coming off a promising collegiate career at Florida. In practice, drafting the former Gator is one decision the Jags would come to regret.
Bryan was unremarkable during his four-year stint with the Jags and didn't garner much demand once he became a free agent. He ended up signing with the Cleveland Browns in 2022. One year later, the Wyoming native joined the Colts, where he once again failed to make an impact.
8. K'Lavon Chaisson, 20th overall draft pick in 2020
Even though K'Lavon Chaisson was somewhat raw coming out of college, his upside was too much to ignore. Furthermore, the Jags could afford to bring him along slowly because they had Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell in the mix. But like most plans, it changed at the last minute.
Jacksonville traded Campbell and Ngakoue before the 2020 season. This pushed Chaisson into a role he wasn't prepared for. To nobody's surprise, he struggled as a rookie. The former LSU Tiger showed promise late in 2020, but wasn't able to build off of it. Then a new regime came, and he failed to make an impression even though he switched back to standup linebacker, where he excelled in college.
Chaisson once again got a clean slate when Doug Pederson took over, and once again, he came crashing down. After four underwhelming seasons, the Jags had seen enough and moved on from him. The Texas native briefly spent time with the Carolina Panthers in 2024 before joining the Las Vegas Raiders. At last, he was able to put it all together and is looking to pick up where he left off as a member of the New England Patriots.
7. Anton Harrison, 28th overall draft pick in 2023
After three seasons full of inconsistencies, right tackle Jawaan Taylor broke out in 2022, which coincidentally happened in the last year of his rookie deal. Jacksonville wasn't planning on paying top-market money to bring him back, so they drafted Anton Harrison to replace him.
As a rookie, Harrison dealt with the bumps and bruises that come with making the transition to the NFL, but generally held his own. The issue is was stuck in neutral last season instead of solidifying his place as the long-term answer on the right edge.
The silver lining is that Harrison is just entering his third season, so he has plenty of time to improve.
6. Travon Walker, 1st overall draft pick in 2022
Getting drafted first overall is an honor most players would be thrilled about, but it also comes with added expectations and extra attention. In Travon Walker's case, he got the spotlight because he wasn't a finished product coming out of Georgia and would need to make the transition to outside linebacker with the Jags.
Not surprisingly, Walker had a somewhat quiet rookie season while he got used to playing in a two-point stance, but once he got a hold of it, he began to show progress. Each of the past two years, the Thomaston, Georgia native has posted 10 sacks and is projected to keep improving.
Walker isn't on par with the T.J. Watts or Micah Parsons of the NFL, but has developed into a pretty solid player. The pick will look much better if he becomes the pass-rusher the Jaguars envisioned when they drafted him.
5. Travis Etienne, 25th overall draft pick in 2021
The Jaguars double-dipped on Clemson Tigers back in 2021: After drafting Trevor Lawrence first overall, they took Travis Etienne at No. 25. The pick made sense even though they had James Robinson in the fold because the offense was in dire need of playmakers. "ETN" proved to be one back in college. Unfortunately, a Lisfranc injury ended his rookie campaign before it started.
It wasn't until 2022 that Jacksonville had a taste of what Etienne could do. It's fair to say that they were pleased as he amassed over 1,400 yards from scrimmage and played a pivotal role in their playoff run. The following year, the Louisiana native would once again cross the 1,400-yard from scrimmage mark.
But as good as Etienne was in 2023, he got phased out in favor of Tank Bigsby last year. Given that he's entering a contract year in 2025, he may not stick around in Duval for long. Nevertheless, posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons is nothing to scoff at.
4. Leonard Fournette, fourth overall draft pick in 2017
It's not uncommon for running backs to make a big impact in their rookie season, because the learning curve at the position isn't nearly as steep as others. That's why Leonard Fournette became a key cog on the Jacksonville offense as a rookie. And although he averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry in his first year with the Jags, he did take some pressure off then-starting quarterback Blake Bortles.
The former LSU Tiger went on to have three straight 1,000-yard seasons, but a contract impasse, along with the ascension of James Robinson, led to his release in 2020. He quickly latched onto the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played a big role in their Super Bowl run that year. He hasn't done much of note since then, but barring a breakout campaign from Travis Etienne, don't expect Lenny to get bumped down in this kind of rankings.
3. Trevor Lawrence, first overall draft pick in 2021
The odds of finding a franchise quarterback at any point of the draft are low, so the Jaguars should be thrilled that they have one in Trevor Lawrence, as inconsistent as he's been throughout his career. Granted, he needs to improve. Particularly, his footwork and overall mechanics could use a bit of refinement. Similarly, his decision-making can be better. Then again, the former Clemson Tiger would surely fare much better if the team didn't routinely put so much pressure on his shoulders.
The good news is that the new regime is doing everything it can to put No. 16 in a position to succeed, so he will no longer have excuses not to play like he did in 2022. He just needs to do it on a consistent basis.
2. Brian Thomas Jr., 23rd overall draft pick in 2024
Is it too early to crown Brian Thomas Jr. or at least rank him so high? Maybe, but he played like a vested veteran as a rookie and gave the Jacksonville passing game an element of verticality it had missed for nearly a decade. And he did it while catching passes from Mac Jones. His production speaks for itself: 82 receptions, 1282 yards, 10 receiving touchdowns, and a Pro Bowl alternate designation and finalist for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Imagine just how dominant the former LSU Tiger will be once he fully hits his stride. Sure, anything could happen, but why not hope for the best?
1. Josh Hines-Allen, seventh overall draft pick in 2019
Is Josh Hines-Allen one of the best draft picks in franchise history? Probably not, but he's certainly the best in the last 10 years. Sure, the bar isn't that high, but the former Kentucky Wildcat has been pretty consistent since the Jaguars made him the seventh overall pick in 2019, outside of 2020, when a knee injury limited him to just eight games.
Granted, Hines-Allen isn't in the same echelon as T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, or even Trey Hendrickson. However, he's a heck of a pass-rusher, one that doesn't get the spotlight nearly as much as his peers because the Jags have only had one winning season in his career. Still, many players would love to carve the kind of career he has.