How Has the Senior Bowl Played a Part in Recent Jaguars’ Drafts?

The Jaguars have an extensive history in drafting senior bowl alumni in recent years.

Once again, a week of Reese's Senior Bowl practices has come and gone. 

The North and South squads will faceoff on Saturday as some of the top senior NFL Draft prospects compete in the All-Star Game, and for the final time before the draft, the players will don a pair of shoulder pads and a helmet. 

This gives evaluators one more chance to see the players in a practice setting before the NFL Scouting Combine and pro day workouts. It is no secret that a player can impress so much in this setting that they leave a lasting impression on organizations -- whether in the game or during the practices held during the middle of the week -- and end up finding their specific new teams on draft day for that very reason. 

In recent years, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been able to make the competition in Mobile, Alabama a peak opportunity to find talent. Since general manager Dave Caldwell took his role in the Jaguars' front office in 2013, the Jaguars have selected 16 players who are Senior Bowl alumni. Caldwell has overseen 53 total picks in that span, so roughly 30% of his picks have been players with Mobile pedigrees.

Of course, the Jaguars have coached in the game three games (2014-2016) during this span of time, which would of course play a factor. Jacksonville drafted seven players (out of 24 overall) during that period. 

So, how exactly have the Jaguars used the Senior Bowl as a way to get a jumpstart in the scouting process since 2013? We examined below:

2013 Draft: 

• S Johnathan Cyprien (Round 2, 33rd overall) 
• CB Dwayne Gratz (Round 3, 64th overall)
• RB Denard Robinson (Round 4, 101st overall)

Three of the Jaguars' eight picks in 2013 ended up being Senior Bowl alumni. None got a second contract with the Jaguars, though each started for expanded periods of time between 2013-2016. Cyprien was a Senior Bowl standout since the game gave him an ability to share the field with players from larger collegiate programs, but he ended up bouncing around the league following stints with the Jaguars Tennessee Titans.

2014 Draft

• C Brandon Linder (Round 3, 93rd overall) 
• CB Aaron Colvin (Round 4, 114th overall)
• LB Telvin Smith (Round 5, 144th overall)
• DE Chris Smith (Round 5, 159th overall)

Jacksonville's first year coaching the game in the Caldwell tenure resulted in the most players drafted from the game in one season for the GM. Colvin ended up tearing his ACL at one practice but was the first of what ended up being three consecutive Senior Bowl picks from the Jaguars. Linder received an extension during his time in Jacksonville is the only player from this group still with the team, but Telvin Smith was also extended in 2017 before stepping away from football before the 2019 season. 

2015 Draft

• TE Ben Koyack (Round 7, 229th overall)

In Jacksonville's second year coaching under the game, the team went in the opposite direction. Koyack was the Jaguars' last selection in the 2015 NFL Draft and has been on and off of the team since, though he will always be remembered for catching the lone touchdown in a 10-3 Wild Card victory vs. Buffalo in 2017.

2016 Draft

• DT Sheldon Day (Round 4, 103rd overall)
• QB Brandon Allen (Round 6, 201st overall)

In the team's final season coaching during the week-long interview process, the Jaguars walked away with only two players. Sheldon Day was a part of the defensive tackle rotation in his few seasons in Jacksonville, while Allen's first NFL start came in 2019 with Denver

2017 Draft

• DL Dawuane Smoot (Round 3, 68th overall)

The only player drafted from the Senior Bowl in 2017, Dawuane Smoot had an up and down first two seasons before having a career season in 2019. Smoot entered the season with zero career sacks but ended with six. 

2018 Draft

• WR DJ Chark (Round 2, 61st overall)
• QB Tanner Lee (Round 6th, 203rd overall)

Tanner Lee lasted only a season on the Jaguars' roster, but DJ Chark became a Pro Bowl receiver in 2019. Chark caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns, establishing himself as a big-play threat and a core piece of the Jaguars' future. 

2019 Draft

• RB Ryquell Armstead (Round 5th, 140th overall)
• QB Gardner Minshew (Round 6, 178th overall)
• DT Dontavius Russell Round 7, 235th overall)

Ryquell Armstead only carried the ball 35 times for 108 yards in 2019 (though he did catch two touchdown passes), and Dontavius Russell was only active for three games. But Gardner Minshew was perhaps the storyline of the 2019 Jaguars, going 6-6 as a starter and throwing for 3,271 yards and 21 touchdowns. He likely has a chance to prove himself as a long-term option at quarterback unless Caldwell opts to make a surprising move and adds a starting quarterback this offseason.