It's been a week since the 2024 NFL Draft was officially announced, and early reviews are underway for draft classes across the NFL.
So where does Sports Illustrated rank the Jaguars' draft class among their AFC peers?
Interestingly, the Jaguars are ranked 14th out of 16 teams, ahead of the Buffalo Bills at 15th and the Tennessee Titans at 16th. The Houston Texans were 10th and the Indianapolis Colts were 5th.
“Jacksonville had a chance to pick any corner in the draft, but they traded for a stock pick, which is fair enough. But then the Jaguars took WR Brian Thomas Jr. instead of addressing a big need. Jacksonville then acquired a kicker and a reserve, moving back and passing on talent with higher upside. It's not terrible, but it's not great either,” SI's Matt Verderame said.
There's some merit in criticizing the Jaguars' class given that most of their picks came earlier than expected, but since the Jaguars took Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 23, You shouldn't be punished for saying it.
Not only was their trade back a smart and efficient move that helped them acquire a top-100 pick and a fourth-round pick in 2025, but wide receiver is certainly the best choice for the Jaguars following the departure of Calvin Ridley. This was an important need. Was it as big of a need as cornerback? No, but it was probably his second-biggest pre-draft need. It's not even remotely unusual that the Jaguars had a receiver.
“he [WR Brian Thomas Jr.] He'll be drafted at 17,'' Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said after the selection.
“As we said, other players are involved and we just felt the team that we have between us, how the board looks and where the needs are, and we think we have a chance. I felt like there was a risk and there was a reward. But we were lucky that Brian was still there.”
Second, there's not much point in criticizing the Jaguars for acquiring a kick returner/running back and kicker with fifth and sixth round picks. By that point in the draft, the talent pool had shrunk significantly. That might have been the case if I had chosen it earlier. But there were a lot more questionable picks to judge than those two.
