Looking Back on the Jaguars’ Past Drafts: Was the 2015 class a success or failure?
With the 2020 NFL Draft looming ahead in the coming months, and with Dave Caldwell returning as the Jacksonville Jaguars' general manager, it is worth looking back at past Jaguars' draft classes to determine the team's recent track record in April.
Caldwell has been general manager since 2013 but it was from 2013-2016 when Caldwell was truly dictating the team's draft process. Former executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin entered the picture in 2017 and had a large say in the team's draft-day decisions.
Of course, context is needed for each draft class. Sometimes picks simply don't work out, whether it is because of injuries, circumstance, or anything else.
2015 was Caldwell's third draft as Jacksonville's general manager and one year removed from a 2014 class that was filled with home run selections.
Due to recent draft momentum and the fact Jacksonville held the third overall pick in the draft for a second consecutive season, expectations were high for Caldwell and the Jaguars entering the 2015 NFL Draft. So, how did the class turn out?
DE Dante Fowler (Round 1, 3rd overall):
Seasons with Jacksonville: 3 1/2.
Stats with Jaguars: 14 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 22 quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles.
Summary: Dante Fowler Jr. was drafted by the Jaguars to become the new face of their defense of the solution to the team's pass-rush woes that had stricken the first two years of Gus Bradley's tenure. But a setback arose right away when Fowler sustained an ACL injury during the first day of rookie minicamp, and injury that cost him his entire rookie season. He struggled in 2016 and was ultimately replaced in the starting lineup by Yannick Ngakoue early on. He had his best year as a Jaguar during the team's 2017 playoff run, collecting eight regular season sacks and then two sacks in the AFC Championship Game. Fowler would be dealt to the Los Angeles Rams for a pair of draft picks at the 2019 trade deadline after it became clear he didn't have a long-term future with the team. He has since slammed the team repeatedly via social media about his experience in Jacksonville. While he has become a productive pass-rusher with the Rams, Fowler was hardly a successful pick in Jacksonville considering he only made an impact in one season.
RB T.J. Yeldon (Round 2, 36th overall):
Seasons with Jacksonville: 4.
Stats with Jaguars: 465 carries for 1,872 yards (4.0 yard per carry average), and six touchdowns. 171 receptions for 1,302 yards and six touchdowns.
Summary: Drafted to be Jacksonville's new bell cow back, T.J. Yeldon's production never matched his draft slot. After rushing 180 times for 740 yards in his rookie season, Yeldon never again carried the ball more than 130 times in a season or for more than 465 yards. After starting 25 games in his first two years in Jacksonville, he went on to start only five in his final two seasons and wasn't offered a new deal.
OG A.J. Cann (Round 3, 67th overall):
Seasons with Jacksonville: 5 and counting.
Stats with Jaguars: 76 games played and 75 starts in 80 games as a Jaguar.
Summary: After sitting the bench for the first few games of his rookie season, A.J. Cann stepped into a starting role at right guard and hasn't spent much time out of the lineup since. He is about average as a guard, though he has had stretches of above-average play. While he was never mistaken for one of the top guards in the league, he received a new deal with the team following 2018 and spent 2019 as the team's starter.
S James Sample (Round 4, 104th overall):
Seasons with Jacksonville: 2.
Stats with Jaguars: 15 tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass deflection.
Summary: Strong safety James Sample never took to the Jaguars' defense, playing in only four games as a rookie and looking overwhelmed in each. He didn't play in 2016 due to a shoulder injury, and then was cut before the 2017 season began.
WR Rashad Greene (Round 5, 139th overall):
Seasons with Jacksonville: 4.
Stats with Jaguars: 30 catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns. One punt return for a touchdown.
Summary: Rashad Greene never became a serious pass-catching threat with the Jaguars due to issues with catching and ball security, and his lack of athleticism hindered his ability to make much of an impact as a return man. He stuck around longer than expected, but ultimately didn't do much in Jacksonville.
DT Michael Bennett (Round 6, 180th overall):
Seasons with Jacksonville: 3.
Stats with Jaguars: 0.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits.
Summary: Michael Bennett struggled to break into the Jaguars' lineup due to injuries as well as a logjam at three-technique with a number of veterans in front of him. He had a skill set worth taking a shot on this late in the draft, it just never panned out.
TE Neal Sterling (Round 7, 220th overall):
Seasons with Jacksonville: 2.
Stats with Jaguars: One receptions for 16 yards.
Summary: A wide receiver/tight end tweener, Sterling struggled to find the field for Jacksonville and would only be with the franchise for two seasons.
TE Ben Koyack (Round 7, 229th overall):
Seasons with Jacksonville: 5.
Stats with Jaguars: 25 receptions for 208 yards and one touchdown.
Summary: On and off of the Jaguars' roster in recent years, Koyack has been a mainstay depth piece at tight end whenever the Jaguars have sustained injuries at the position. He greatest impact in Jacksonville is when he caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles in 2017's 10-3 Wildcard Round victory over Buffalo, the lone touchdown in the game.
Overall
Was this a successful draft class? Five years down the road, it's hard to make a compelling argument for it. Only Cann and Koyack remain from the team, with Cann being the only player Jacksonville brought back on a second deal once his rookie contract expired. A strong argument can be made for Cann to be the best pick of the entire class despite his average ness.
Jacksonville tried to become a tougher team in this draft -- with the first three picks either being in the trenches or running game, and the fourth pick being a physical safety. But ultimately, the class just didn't find much success. Fowler never played in Jacksonville like a third overall pick is expected to, and his lone productive season was more due to circumstance (three Pro Bowl defensive lineman next to him) than anything else. Yeldon never had a firm grasp on the role of No. 1 running back and Jacksonville was forced to make significant investments in running backs in each of the next two offseasons with Chris Ivory and Leonard Fournette.
This class looked good on paper once it was initially completed, but with the benefit of hindsight it's clear that Caldwell would have better drafts than the one he completed in 2015.
