How Have Past Jaguars’ First-Round Picks During Dave Caldwell's Tenure Performed at the NFL Scouting Combine?
With the NFL Scouting Combine set to take place next week, it is a worthwhile exercise to examine how some current and former Jacksonville Jaguars performed during their athletic testing drills at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
During general manager Dave Caldwell's tenure, the Jaguars have selected seven first-round players, with each of them taking part in the combine before the draft took place. In his time as general manager, Caldwell has overseen the Jaguars selecting stars of the combine, as well as a few players who had forgettable workouts.
So, how have past Jaguars' first-rounders under Caldwell performed when it came to taking the field for the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, and other drills in Indianapolis? We took a look at each one since 2013 to get an idea for how much the Jaguars value athleticism in the first round.
2013: OT Luke Joeckel (No. 2 overall selection)
- Size: 6-foot-6, 306-pounds.
- 40-yard dash: 5.30.
- Bench Press: 27 reps.
- Three-Cone: 7.40 seconds.
- Vertical Jump: 28.5"
- Broad Jump: 106".
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.68 seconds.
To give more context to Joeckel's performance in Indianapolis, we have looked at Mockdraftable and the site's spider charts, which compares Joeckel's testing to other players at his position historically.
Overall, Joeckel had a solid but unspectacular day at the combine. His best drill was the three-cone drill, in which he had the fourth-best time out of all offensive linemen.
2014: QB Blake Bortles (No. 3 overall selection)
- Size: 6-foot-5, 232-pounds.
- 40-yard dash: 4.93.
- Bench Press: N/A.
- Three-Cone: 7.08 seconds.
- Vertical Jump: 32.5".
- Broad Jump: 115".
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.21 seconds.
To give more context to Bortles' performance in Indianapolis, we have looked at Mockdraftable and the site's spider charts, which compares Bortles' testing to other players at his position historically.
Overall, Bortles had a solid outing in Indianapolis. He had the third-best broad jump of all quarterbacks, which is even more impressive when you consider current NFL tight end Logan Thomas took part in quarterback drills. Bortles was always athletic during his time in Jacksonville, so doing well at the combine was hardly a surprise.
2015: DE Dante Fowler (No. 3 overall selection)
- Size: 6-foot-3, 261-pounds.
- 40-yard dash: 4.60.
- Bench Press: 19 reps.
- Three-Cone: 7.40 seconds.
- Vertical Jump: 32.5".
- Broad Jump: 112".
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.32 seconds.
To give more context to Fowler's performance in Indianapolis, we have looked at Mockdraftable and the site's spider charts, which compares Fowler's testing to other players at his position historically.
Fowler largely had an average workout at the combine, making him one of the least impressive members of this list in terms of athletic testing. His best drill was the 40-yard dash, but he was average to below-average in most other drills.
2016: CB Jalen Ramsey (No. 5 overall selection)
- Size: 6-foot-1, 209-pounds.
- 40-yard dash: 4.41.
- Bench Press: 14 reps.
- Three-Cone: 6.94 seconds.
- Vertical Jump: 41.5".
- Broad Jump: 135".
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.18 seconds.
To give more context to Ramsey's performance in Indianapolis, we have looked at Mockdraftable and the site's spider charts, which compares Ramsey's testing to other players at his position historically.
Ramsey was average to below-average in most agility drills, but he had some eye-popping numbers in the explosion drills such as the vertical and broad jumps, giving him one of the best combine performances of any Jaguars' first-round pick in the franchise's history, let alone just in Caldwell's tenure.
2017: RB Leonard Fournette (No. 4 overall selection)
- Size: 6-foot-0, 240-pounds.
- 40-yard dash: 4.51.
- Bench Press: N/A.
- Three-Cone: N/A.
- Vertical Jump: 28.5".
- Broad Jump: N/A.
- 20-yard shuttle: N/A.
To give more context to Fournette's performance in Indianapolis, we have looked at Mockdraftable and the site's spider charts, which compares Fournette's testing to other players at his position historically.
Fournette only performed in two drills, so his combine profile is the most incomplete out of all Caldwell first-round draft picks. He had a solid 40-yard dash for his size, but the vertical jump was a disappointment.
2018: DT Taven Bryan (No. 29 overall selection)
- Size: 6-foot-5, 298-pounds.
- 40-yard dash: 4.98.
- Bench Press: 30 reps.
- Three-Cone: 7.12 seconds.
- Vertical Jump: 35".
- Broad Jump: 119".
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.48 seconds.
To give more context to Bryan's performance in Indianapolis, we have looked at Mockdraftable and the site's spider charts, which compares Bryan's testing to other players at his position historically.
Bryan's reputation coming out of the University of Florida was that he was an athletic specimen who was lacking in instincts and awareness. The combine proved the first half of that statement to be as true as the day is long, as Bryan had one of the best combine's of any defensive tackle in recent years. This shows up on the field as well, as Bryan makes the vast majority of his plays due to his initial explosion off of the line.
2019: DE Josh Allen (No. 7 overall selection)
- Size: 6-foot-4, 262-pounds.
- 40-yard dash: 4.63.
- Bench Press: 28 reps.
- Three-Cone: 7.15 seconds.
- Vertical Jump: N/A.
- Broad Jump: 118".
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.23 seconds.
To give more context to Allen's performance in Indianapolis, we have looked at Mockdraftable and the site's spider charts, which compares Allen's testing to other players at his position historically.
Allen didn't participate in the vertical jump, but he did solid in just about every other drill. He didn't have any eye-popping numbers like Montez Sweat had, but showed above-average athleticism and this was reflective during his 10.5 sack rookie season in 2019.
Overall, players like Fournette didn't show much at the combine due to lack of participation, while Fowler was likely the least-impressive of any Caldwell pick due to his position and how often elite athletes are found there.
Caldwell's two biggest workout warriors have been Ramsey and Bryan, each of whom was among the most impressive at their positions in Indianapolis the year they were drafted.
Caldwell has drafted mostly above-average athletes since his tenure began in 2013, with Fowler being the exception. Expect this trend to continue in 2020 as the Jaguars enter the draft with two first-round selections (No. 9 and 20 overall0.
