Jaguars Draft Class, UDFA Draft Haul Earn High Marks

Rotoworld has ranked the Jacksonville Jaguars crop of rookies as one of the best rookie groups in the entire NFL thanks to a strong class and UDFA group.

The largest rookie class in Jacksonville Jaguars history has entered this offseason with notable excitement. From first-rounders CJ Henderson (No. 9 overall) and K'Lavon Chaisson (No. 20) to second-round phenom Laviska Shenault, it would be an understatement to say the Jaguars' 12-man draft class is brewing enthusiasm in Jacksonville. 

But the Jaguars' large draft class and its undrafted free agent signings are earning attention and excitement from places outside of Jacksonville as well, with many in the national media lauding general manager Dave Caldwell's draft performance since the draft concluded. 

Among those who are high on Jacksonville's draft class is Thor Nystrom of Rotoworld, who used in-depth data and his own methodology to determine which teams walked away with the most valuable groups of rookies following the draft and the undrafted free agency cycle. 

Nystrom ranked the Jaguars' rookie group No. 6 in the NFL, trailing only the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 4) and the Miami Dolphins (No. 5) in the AFC, largely because he sees value in their first few picks as well as a number of their undrafted free agents. 

"Just a well-rounded process for the Jaguars overall. Jacksonville finished No. 6 in both Draft Score and in the UDFA class rankings and naturally checked in No. 6 in the NFL (and No. 3 in the AFC) in the overall Draft Haul rankings," Nystrom

wrote

. 

"I was higher on Jacksonville’s draft than the media at large, which ranked the Jags No. 11 in GPA. CB C.J. Henderson and EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson were no-doubt picks at positions of need. WR Laviska Shenault was grand theft in the second-round, while OT Ben Bartch and CB Josiah Scott were both big-time fourth-round values."

Jacksonville spent three of their first picks on defense with Henderson, Chaisson and third-round defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, making it clear the Jaguars' priority entering the draft process was to upgrade a defense that has lost countless pieces since fielding an elite unit in 2017. According to Nystrom, most of those picks were made with great value. 

 “We felt good about filling some needs; there’s always a point where you wish you could do more. You’re never going to come out of a draft completely satisfied. But this is about as satisfied as we’ve been," general manager Dave Caldwell said following the draft. 

"There were some picks here and there where we’re one or two picks away. We feel good about the players we got and filled some needs: secondary, linebacker – we’re going into the season with some really good depth at those positions. Obviously, defensive line, like I said from the beginning, we really want to set up the front seven for success.”

In addition to the 12 draft picks Jacksonville acquired in April, the Jaguars also signed a large undrafted free agent class that included players such as Luc Barcoo, J.R. Reed, James Robinson and other productive players.

"Jacksonville also brought in a strong UDFA crop, giving San Diego State CB Luq Barcoo, a Thorpe Award semifinalist last year, a record $180,000 in guarantees, better than Barcoo would have gotten had he been picked in Rounds 6 or 7. RB James Robinson is a Philip Lindsay immediate-impact UDFA candidate if Leonard Fournette ends up getting dealt before the season starts. Even if not, I like his odds of carving out a niche long-term," Nystrom wrote.

Jacksonville will field one of the youngest rosters in the league this season so they will be leaning on their rookies to make a big impact early on. If the class is as impressive as Nystrom's formula indicates it is, the Jaguars could expect a strong year of production from their rookie class for the second consecutive year. 

"Obviously, you want to get yourself in a position where you create competition, and guys can raise up. Guys that have potential. Every year when you’re looking at the draft, you’re acquiring players. Now they’ve got to go out there and win and earn it," head coach Doug Marrone said following the draft. 

"Do I feel we have competition? And players can potentially be good players and a good foundation of the organization? Absolutely. So I feel like we have done a very good job of putting that in place and now they have to go out and perform like we think they can or could perform. Now a lot of it comes on us as coaches. Obviously, there are qualities that we love in a lot of these players. They’ve all been discussed of their roles and how we as coaches just have to do a good job of developing these players and getting them in a position where they can help us win football games.”