A Series of Unfortunate Events: A History of the Jaguars' First Round Draft Picks; Part 1

2/11/2016

The Jaguars have had 21 first round draft picks and the vast majority of them have been highly disappointing. Here we will rank for you, from worst to first, all of the Jaguars’ first round pics.

By Jordan de Lugo

PRESENTED BY

Warning: This is not for the faint of heart

21. R. Jay Soward. WR. (2000) - R. Jay was drafted number 29 overall by the Jaguars in 2000. In college, at USC, he was one of the most dynamic players in the country. He stared as a wide receiver and a returner. He scored 27 receiving touchdowns in his career on his way to becoming one of the greatest Trojan receivers of all time. Unfortunately for the Jaguars he was not ready for the spotlight and the pressure of being a first round pick. Soward later admitted that he was an alcoholic at the time he was drafted by Jacksonville and that he wasn't ready for the pressure. He was suspended for substance abuse before he ever played a down for the Jaguars and only lasted one season with the team, reaching the end zone just once.

20. Derrick Harvey. DE. (2008) - Harvey was one of the biggest busts of all time. He was overdrafted by the Jaguars in 2008 after an impressive career at the University of Florida, where he won a national title and was named the National Championship MVP. Making the Jaguars selection of Harvey even more disappointing was the fact that they traded several draft picks to move up and get him. In his career with the Jaguars, Harvey never recorded more than 3.5 sacks in a season. Harvey was out of the league by 2012, only playing three seasons for the Jaguars, and never making even the slightest of impacts for the team. Harvey was the definition of a bust.

19. Blaine Gabbert. QB. (2011) - Gabbert was selected number 10 overall in the 2011 draft. The hopes and dreams of the city of Jacksonville were on his shoulders and he failed, miserably. Gabbert was dealt a bad hand when he was drafted by Jax. He likely shouldn't have been drafted so highly, as he never actually did that much on the football field in college. He was a practice field super star, but with little to no help around him Gabbert never reached his potential. He often looked scared to get hit and never took responsibility for his failures, earning him the nickname “Blame” Gabbert. Blaine was often injured during his three year stay in Jacksonville and never threw for more than 12 touchdowns in a season. To be fair, it seems that he may have turned his career around slightly in San Francisco, but for the Jaguars Gabbert was pure garbage. Jaguar fans have grown to resent Gabbert so much that shirts have been made saying “I survived Blaine Gabbert”.

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18. Matt Jones. WR. (2005) - Matt Jones was a star QB in college at Arkansas, who displayed incredible size and athleticism. The Jaguars were so smitten with his upside, that they failed to realize that he was a huge reach with the 21st pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Converting a QB to WR is a huge move that should not have been taken so lightly. Perhaps even more concerning, was the fact that the Jaguars ignored reports that Jones had an alternate personality named Rodney, and the Jags ignored Jones’ college coaches advice to stay away from him. In any event, the Jaguars did draft him and it did blow up in their face. He never developed into the star he could have been due to a lack of dedication and love of the game. He also got in trouble with drugs and alcohol towards the end of his stint with the Jaguars, cementing his legacy as a true bust.

17. Reggie Williams. WR. (2004) - Williams was a highly touted receiver out of of the University of Washington in 2004, when he was selected ninth in the NFL Draft by the Jaguars. In college, Williams was named to his All-Conference team twice and was even named an All-American in 2002. Standing 6’4’’ and weighing in at over 210 pounds, the Jaguars couldn't pass up on the electrifying playmaker. Early in his career, Williams struggled to adapt to the NFL and through his first three seasons he never scored more than 4 touchdowns, although, based on his celebrations you might've thought he was an All-Pro. In his fourth year in the NFL it appeared that he had turned a corner, scoring 10 receiving touchdowns, a then Jaguars single season record. Unfortunately for him and the Jaguars, he would never again reach that level of success and he too, like so many Jaguars’ receivers before him, would flame out due to substance abuse.

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16. Justin Blackmon. WR. (2012) - Same story, different year, kind of. Just as R. Jay Soward, Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, and Jimmy Smith before him, this Jaguar wide out’s career was cut short due to substance abuse. He actually didn't last nearly as long in the NFL as either Matt Jones or Reggie Williams, but unlike those two, it was clear that Blackmon was a star when he was on the field. The Jaguars drafted the wide receiver with the 5th overall pick in the 2012 draft. In his rookie season, Blackmon appeared ready to become a star in the league recording 64 catches for 865 yards and 5 touchdowns. Then, in his second season, he was suspended for substance abuse and so the story goes. He is the most recent Jaguars receiver to fail to stay away from illegal substances and hopefully the last.

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