ESPN: Jaguars Have 7th-Best Under-25 Core

ESPN has the Jaguars with one of the best young rosters in the NFL.

Jan 7, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker (44) sacks Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports / Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

At the crux of the Jacksonville Jaguars' rebuild over the last four seasons has been a desire for change. The Jaguars have wanted to move past the ways of the old with the franchise, days where spending big in free agency and limited draft success reigned surpreme.e

While the Jaguars have spent when needed to supplement a roster and speed up it's window to compete, the Jaguars' core philosophy has been to draft and retain their own players. Aside from a few high-profile cases, the Jaguars have managed to retain more talent than not.

As of late, the Jaguars have also emphasized resigning talent they drafted. This includes franchise-record deals for Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence this offseason, making them the first first-round picks to sign second deals with the team since Blake Bortles in 2018.

As a result of the Jaguars' shift in values, the team has managed to stack up on young talent and volume draft picks. This has led to them being named the No. 7 team in under-25 talent according to ESPN's Aaron Schatz, who ranked all 32 rosters based on a variety of factors.

"One question in compiling this ranking was how much to penalize Jacksonville because its top young asset -- Lawrence -- no longer comes cheap. His new $275 million deal matters, because one of the benefits of youth is those rookie contracts. But Lawrence still has room to grow and develop as a quarterback, and the Jaguars have other young talent beside him.

That starts with the No. 1 overall pick from the 2022 draft, Walker, who will be 23 this season. Right tackle Harrison is only 22 and started every game in his rookie season, ranking fourth at his position in pressure rate allowed. Cornerback Tyson Campbell and safety Andre Cisco lead the youth movement in the secondary. We also give the Jaguars credit for this year's draft picks, including wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (who will start as a rookie) and defensive tackle Maason Smith."

- Aaron Schatz, ESPN

Among the factors considered by Schatz were the number of starts made by under-25 players, snaps played, contracts, age-adjusted value of play, draft value added in the 2024 NFL Draft, and more.

The Jaguars ranked second in the AFC South, with the Houston Texans landing at No. 1, the Indianapolis Colts at No. 12, and the Tennessee Titans at No. 22.

“I think you get a pretty good idea about where everybody is, where the team is. I think it was successful from the standpoint of the way these guys worked, the way they came in with the right attitude and good frame of mind," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said last month at the end of OTAs.

"They worked extremely hard in the weight room to get stronger, which we needed to do as well. But I think too you're seeing the leadership of the team. We've talked about Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] and his impact and him taking that next step and what I've seen there, and the positivity there. Obviously guys like [WR] Christian Kirk coming back healthy and seeing that. This rookie class has been really good coming, seeing how that work and last year’s class. So, all the pieces are sort of coming together here at the end. We've just got to carry that right into July and August."

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