Jaguars draft history: Looking back at the team’s best DB picks

Based on talent evaluation, the Jaguars have a longstanding tradition of scouting solid defensive backs.

This past week, ESPN beat reporter Mike DiRocco detailed the Jacksonville Jaguars’ up-and-down history of drafting franchise receivers. While the team has struggled to find pass catchers in the early rounds, Jacksonville has had solid success drafting defensive backs.

If the Jags are to draft a first round cornerback on Thursday – something most everyone expects, including the team’s brass – the track record shows they might have a good eye for the position. Over the course of the 2000s, through multiple GMs and coaching regimes, the Jags have successfully navigated drafting good defensive backs in the early rounds.

The last corner the Jags took in the first round was C.J. Henderson at 9th overall in 2020. Simply put, the Jags big-time whiffed on this pick, which doesn’t start this exercise off great.

There were questions about Henderson’s willingness to even play pro football leading up to the draft, and lest we forget his less than enthusiastic draft day photos. Henderson played just two seasons with Jax and appeared in only 10 games before he was traded to the Carolina Panthers. After three seasons in Charlotte, he is now on the Houston Texans on a one-year deal.

While Henderson was a clear miss by former general manager Dave Caldwell, his successor Trent Baalle hit on Tyson Campbell with the first pick of the second round a year later. Campbell has been an impact player since his 2021 rookie season, and he’ll likely start opposite a rookie corner at some point next year if the Jags take someone like Quinyon Mitchell or Terrion Arnold in the first round.

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Obviously, the team’s best first round cornerback selection was Jalen Ramsey, who helped lead one of the best defensive units to play in the 21st century. His tenure in Duval was cut short, but he was a clear hit in the draft. The Jags were helped in 2016 when the Dallas Cowboys took Ezekiel Elliot one pick before Ramsey, but both picks ended up working out for the two teams, though they didn’t end great for either team. It is next to impossible to go to a Jags game and not see a smattering of Ramsey jerseys. He was a can’t-miss prospect and the Jags didn’t hesitate to nab him.

In 2013, the Jags took Johnathan Cyprien with the 33rd pick. While not a first-rounder by a single selection, like Campbell, Cyprien still made a big enough impact on the team and its culture that he chose to retire as a Jaguar.

Unquestionably, two of the team’s best two defensive back selections came in the early 2000s.

In ‘07, the team picked Reggie Nelson at 21st overall. He may have only played in Jacksonville for three seasons, but the talent evaluation was sound. He started two playoff games for the Jags and finished his time in Jacksonville with seven interceptions before moving on to the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Rashean Mathis was taken 39th overall in 2003, another big-time playermaker and big-time hit in terms of drafting early defensive backs.

In the later rounds, the Jags have also had recent success, notably with Antonio Johnson in the fifth round last season. Montaric Brown seems to be an excellent value for his seventh-round status in 2022. Andre Cisco has been a Pro Bowl-level player since being drafted in the third round of 2021, despite what Urban Meyer may have thought.

Going back to Baalke’s days with the San Francisco 49ers to get a larger idea of his drafting process, he hit on a handful of defensive back selections in California.

Baalke selected safety Jaquiski Tartt in the second round of the 2015 draft after taking Arik Armstead at 17th overall. In 2014, Baalke drafted standout safety Jimmie Ward in the first round. The 2013 draft saw Baalke draft safety Eric Reid, who made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year.

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Given who the Jags have drafted as an organization, and who Baalke has drafted through the years, if there are multiple corners on the board at 17 there is a good chance the Jags take the right one. It doesn’t hurt having renowned defensive backs coach Kris Richard on staff, either.

It seems almost unbelievable that the Jags have a good track record at this position, but the picks back it up. In just a few days, the next Ramsey could be coming to town. That is if the Jags don’t take a receiver, of course.