Out on a Limb? NFL Insiders Skeptical of Jaguars’ Risky Draft Class

As a debate rages across the NFL on social media about “Consensus Boards” and the wisdom of crowds when it comes to drafting players, with so much of the attention focused on the 49ers, rival executives are actually much more skeptical of what Jacksonville did than even San Francisco.

Neither team came out selecting players, for the most part, where they were projected to go. 

But while some general managers and executives seemed inclined to give 49ers GM John Lynch the benefit of the doubt, even with recent drafts suffering, there was widespread belief in the industry that the Jaguars went particularly out on a limb with their selections.

“I don’t get the Jaguars draft,” one general manager said. 

“Were they just trying to be different? I didn’t like where they took any of those players, really.”

Another GM said: “I can understand wanting to do things differently to some degree, but they took it too far.”

A Draft Of Extremes

No one will have a book on just which teams struck gold and which failed, and the Jags were already dealing with a dearth of picks. 

That made it seem to some established general managers that it would make more sense to try to lean into players with a more established body of work for the round they were being selected in. Jacksonville’s young GM James Gladstone, in his second draft, is clearly not bound by convention.

“They took on a lot of projects is what it looks like to me,” the first GM said.

The Jaguars were one of the most improved teams in the NFL a year ago, with rookie head coach Liam Coen changing their culture and belief and getting former first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence to shine. People around the league are bullish on the coaching staff, but the front office is leaving itself open to probing.