When the Jacksonville Jaguars dismissed Doug Pederson in 2025, it seemed like they were going to hold onto Trent Baalke. However, they changed their mind when Liam Coen, at the time their favorite candidate for their head-coaching vacancy, briefly walked away.
The Jags ended up moving on from Baalke to hire Coenand and eventually hired James Gladstone to lead the front office. So far, the decision has paid off, since Jacksonville is 17-5 since he took over the front office.
Having said that, Baalke had several hits during his stint as the general manager in Duval. The organization didn't fire him because he didn't know how to acquire talent but rather because he was difficult to work with. One look at his 2023 draft class shows just how good he was at his job.
The Jaguars are watching Ventrell Miller flourish
Even though Devin Lloyd was a Second-Team All-Pro in 2025, Jacksonville didn't make an effort to bring him back. Lloyd ended up bolting for the Carolina Panthers, where he's made an immediate impact.
Because the Jags didn't make a splash in free agency or use an early draft pick to replace Lloyd, they raised questions about their decision to let him walk. However, the team's brass was confident that fourth-year pro Ventrell Miller was more than capable of filling his shoes, with Liam Coen saying that the former Florida Gator should be thrilled that the Jaguars didn't bring in someone to compete with him. He was right.
Miller's 91.8 Pro Football Focus grade this season is the highest among linebackers this season. While he isn't nearly as good as Lloyd in coverage, he's more than held his own. And in light of his recent success, the rest of the Jags' 2023 draft class has gotten the spotlight.
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Just how good was the Jaguars' 2023 draft class?
The Jaguars came out with 13 players that year. Some of them didn't pan out. Seventh-rounders Raymond Vohasek and Derek Parish never played a snap for the Jags. Sixth-round pick safety Erick Hallett never made it out of the practice squad and was eventually signed by the Atlanta Falcons. Sixth-rounder Cooper Hodges flashed as a rookie but could never stay healthy. Defensive end Tyler Lacy (fourth round) never made an impact in Duval. Those are the flops.
On the other hand, running back Tank Bigsby (third round), cornerback Christian Braswell (sixth round), and linebacker Yasir Abdullah (fifth round) carved out niches with various degrees of success but are no longer with the team. And then, there are the hits.
You can find left tackle Anton Harrison (first round), tight end Brenton Strange (second round), defensive back Antonio Johnson (fifth round), and probably the crown jewel of the class, wide receiver Parker Washington (sixth round), among the team's hits that year.
Harrison is Trevor Lawrence's blindside protector, Strange is one of the best blocking tight ends and an underrated pass-catcher, while Antonio Johnson has become a mainstay of the Jacksonville defense. For his part, Parker Washington has turned into a true No. 1 receiver, arguably the best one the team has had in two decades.
And who was responsible for drafting all of them? That's right, Trent Baalke. For all the flak he (rightfully) got for being difficult to work with, he left the Jaguars with a solid core, the same one that's helping them win games.
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