Looking Back on the Jaguars’ Past Drafts: How Has the 2016 Class Aged?

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.

2016 was Caldwell's final draft before Coughlin entered the picture, and it was a pivotal year for the young general manager even at the time. Head coach Gus Bradley had suffered through three consecutive losing seasons and the mandate to win in 2016 was obvious. Caldwell would have to hit the draft out of the park to give Bradley and his staff a fighting chance to remain.

In 2015, Jacksonville's offense produced big numbers but the defense was a sieve. With a young quarterback, running back, and wide receivers already in place, Caldwell made this a defensive-heavy draft, taking a defensive player with every pick but one.

So after four years, how has the Jaguars' 2016 draft class shaken out?

CB Jalen Ramsey (Round 1, 5th overall):

Seasons with Jacksonville: A little more than three.

Stats with Jaguars: Nine interceptions, 45 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, one pick-six, six tackles for loss.

Summary: Jalen Ramsey is going to be remembered in Jacksonville for the debacle that was his forced departure out of the Jaguars' organization, but before the relationship between him and the team fell apart, he was one of the team's best draft picks ever. He took away each opponent's No. 1 wide receiver and gave Jacksonville a lot of luxuries on defense that went unnoticed. Without him, it is unlikely the 2017 defense would have performed nearly as well as it did against the pass. He was a huge part of what they did on defense from not just his play but from his attitude on the field.

Jacksonville ended up dealing Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams in October for two-first round draft picks and a later round selection, so the Jaguars at least benefitted from Ramsey's meltdowns in his final weeks in Jacksonville. Not getting a second contract out of Ramsey will forever be one of the biggest "what ifs" in Jaguars' history, but the Jaguars will be able to rebuild their roster due to the compensation from Ramsey's exit.

LB Myles Jack (Round 2, 36th overall):

Seasons with Jacksonville: Four and counting.

Stats with Jaguars: 287 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, five and a half sacks.

Summary: Jacksonville traded up for Myles Jack after the UCLA linebacker slipped due to injury concerns. Bradley failed to find a place for Jack throughout most of 2016, but the young linebacker went to have the best year of his career in 2017. Jack played strongside linebacker in the base defense and then took over in the middle of the field as a middle linebacker on passing downs before he eventually transitioned to middle linebacker full-time in 2018. Jack was awarded a four-year, $57 million contract extension that includes $33 million guaranteed before the 2019 season began, but the last two seasons have featured uneven play from Jack, prompting the question of whether he can be the team's solution at middle linebacker or should be utilized in a different role.

DE Yannick Ngakoue (Round 3, 69th overall):

Seasons with Jacksonville: Four and potentially counting.

Stats with Jaguars: 37.5 sacks, 42 tackles for loss, 14 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.

Summary: Arguably the best pass-rusher the Jaguars had ever drafted at the time, Ngakoue was impressive enough in training camp as a rookie that he took Dante Fowler's starting spot after only one game in 2016. Since then, Ngakoue hasn't looked back, leaving a wake of quarterbacks and befuddled offensive tackles behind him in the process. He has never had a season with less than eight sacks, but also only has one season with double-digit sacks, which came in 2017. Ngakoue, who recorded 12 sacks and six forced fumbles that season, was a huge part of the team's defensive success and earned his first Pro Bowl nod thanks to his efforts.

Ngakoue's sack production dropped a bit in the ensuing two years, but he has still been a productive playmaker and one of the emotional leaders of the locker room. Ngakoue is an impending free agent this March and is due for a big payday from a team, though it is far from certain the Jaguars will be that team. The duo of him and Josh Allen has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL, but it remains to be seen if the Jaguars can work something out.

DT Sheldon Day (Round 4, 103rd overall):

Seasons with Jacksonville: One and a half.

Stats with Jaguars: Two sacks and five tackles for loss.

Summary: Cut after 22 games in Jacksonville, Sheldon Day fell victim to a numbers game in Jacksonville. Malik Jackson was playing at a Pro Bowl level and Calais Campbell was a terror on the interior defensive line in his first year in Jacksonville, leaving little snaps for Day to take advantage of. He has since become a solid part of the San Francisco 49ers' defensive line rotation, but his time in Jacksonville was short and relatively forgettable.

DE Tyrone Holmes (Round 6, 181st overall):

Seasons with Jacksonville: Zero.

Stats with Jaguars: None.

Summary: An athletic pass-rusher, Tyrone Holmes never played a regular-season game for the Jaguars. He was cut in September of his rookie season and eventually claimed by the Cleveland Browns, who he played 15 games for. He recorded one sack in his time in Cleveland.

QB Brandon Allen (Round 6, 201st overall):

Seasons with Jacksonville: One.

Stats with Jaguars: None.

Summary: Another late-round draft pick who never played a regular-season game for the Jaguars, Brandon Allen was waived by Jacksonville after his second training camp with the team.

DE Jonathan Woodard (Round 7, 226th overall):

Seasons with Jacksonville: One.

Stats with Jaguars: None.

Summary: Injuries sidelined Jonathan Woodard early on in his career after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon during team workouts in May of his rookie year. Woodard would be cut in September of 2017 and went on to play for Atlanta, Miami, and Buffalo.

Overall

While Jack has been inconsistent, it is hard to say Caldwell didn't accomplish what he set out to do in the 2016 draft. Ramsey, Jack, and Ngakoue all played huge parts in the team's defensive resurgence and the Jaguars would not have gotten to the AFC Championship without the trio.

Unfourtualtey, the class that looked like the building block of the Jaguars' future has fallen apart to a degree since. Ramsey is no longer a Jaguar, though they did get draft capital for him. Jack hasn't lived up to expectations at middle linebacker, and Ngakoue may not be a Jaguar in a few months.

But for what the class was at the time, and for what it did to help push Jacksonville over the hump in 2017, Caldwell deserves credit.