NFL.com’s Chad Reuter re-grades the 2023 NFL Draft: Jaguars earn a B

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter is taking a look back at his grades for the 2023 NFL Draft. Jacksonville originally earned a B+ in April, but he’s since downgraded that to a B.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter took a look back down memory lane and is re-grading the 2023 NFL Draft, with the new context of how the season shook out.

As you may remember, your Jacksonville Jaguars had a whopping 13 draft picks in the 2023 draft. Unfortunately, the majority of those picks were of the Day 3 variety, in a draft where the team reportedly had issues in trading up. With an inability to trade up, general manager Trent Baalke instead decided to trade down three times to give the team three additional Day 3 picks and a 2024 fourth-rounder.

Reuter’s original analysis at the time of the draft landed on the Jaguars’ draft as a B+.

Analysis: The pending suspension of Cam Robinson for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy made the Jags’ need at tackle even more obvious, so the Harrison selection made tons of sense. Strange’s pick was likely forced by the run on tight ends in the second round. Jacksonville could have probably waited until Day 3 to find Bigsby or a similarly talented back.

One year after the Jaguars drafted two linebackers early, they took Miller early in the fourth despite the fact he is coming off injury and Abdullah in the fifth, though the former Cardinal is more of a threat on the edge. They smartly addressed their needs at defensive tackle with Lacy and Vohasek and in the secondary with Braswell and Hallett. Washington could work his way into a crowded receiver room with his strength and quickness in space, and Parish is a fullback who starred as an edge rusher for Houston the past couple of years.

Though Reuter did seem to question the logic of the Strange and Bigsy picks, he seemed to give the team a higher grade than many at the time of the draft, with the consensus landing at around a C+ grade. However, the picks of Anton Harrison and Parker Washington, added to the vast number of draft picks available to the team all seemed to provide more opportunities to fill holes within the roster. Reuter gave the Jaguars’ Day 2 picks a grade of a B-, which I would argue was probably slightly high.

Per his updated report card, Reuter gave the team a slight downgrade from their initial B+ to a B currently.

The Jaguars should be able to bank on Harrison manning the right tackle spot for the next few seasons. He struggled a bit at the beginning of the year but improved as the season went on and looks the part of a solid starter. Finding a reliable tackle was crucial, because the makeup of the rest of Jacksonville’s offensive line for 2024 is a bit murky, with Cam Robinson ($21.2 million cap hit in 2024) being a potential cap casualty, Walker Little lacking a set starting position and more bodies required in the middle.

The team’s Day 2 selections contributed as reserves. Bigsby only logged 50 rushing attempts for 132 yards and one reception for 6 yards on the year because Travis Etienne carried the load. Tank should play a larger role if the team’s rushing attack becomes more efficient in 2024. Strange caught five passes for 35 yards and a score, playing a lot of snaps early in the year before a foot injury limited his effectiveness. He and Evan Engram should become a strong one-two punch next season.

Miller’s rookie year was over before it started, thanks to an Achilles injury he suffered in the preseason finale. Lacy and Johnson flashed as rookies, portending greater contributions in Year 2. Washington finally got on the field in Week 4 but suffered an injury on a punt return. Later in the year, he scored in consecutive games, and then his snaps tailed off again — watch for a breakout from him in 2024. The team did not get contributions from its other late-round picks. Cooks was mostly a special teamer, though he did nab three catches for 38 yards against the Bucs in Week 16.

Oddly, Chad barely mentions rookie DB Antonio Johnson, who was possibly one of the best value picks of the draft and the second-best rookie performer on the team. One could argue that he did a lot more than “flash” as a rookie, but I understand the viewpoint from the point of view of a national analyst.

From those of you who watch the team a little closer, what say you BCC? How would you grade the Jaguars 2023 draft after the class’s rookie season? Did Chad get it right?