13 Up, 13 Down: Observations, Notes on Each Jaguars' Draft Pick After Rookie Minicamp

The Jacksonville Jaguars are just a few days away from their rookie class joining the rest of the team on the practice field, with the first set of OTAs set up for Monday afternoon.

But before then, we take a look at the Jaguars' rookie class after last weekend's rookie minicamp. For all 13 draft picks, it was a weekend filled with eventful and key first steps toward becoming immersed in the Jaguars' scheme and culture.

So, what did we make of each rookie over the weekend and before OTAs? We break it down below.

1st, No. 27: OT Anton Harrison, Oklahoma

As expected, first-round offensive tackle Anton Harrison spent his first reps as a Jaguar at right tackle. Harrison is expected to be the Jaguars' starting right tackle in Week 1 as left tackle Cam Robinson faces a pending suspension by the NFL. It is hard to gauge an offensive lineman's performance in these settings, but Harrison looked the part physically and seemed to gel with offensive line coach Phil Rauscher with ease.

"Yes, it's very important. If coaching and scouting aren't on the same page with a player, it's going to make it really hard for him to have success in any program. And Phil's done a great job. Phil likes to get his hands on guys. He's kind of the typical line coach," Jaguars assistant general manager Ethan Waugh said. "And so he made a number of spots or a number of visits and he really enjoyed it. And I think he comes back with information that -- it is his specialty, so kind of the exact things that he's looking for. And when he finds him, he lets us know and we try and get those players."

2nd, No. 61: TE Brenton Strange, Penn State

The second-round tight end looked the part and then some. He had a noticeably bigger frame than other tight ends on the roster and showed off his movement skills on the first day of practices, looking like one of the most explosive rookies on the field.

"Again, another guy that came in and showed us all the things that we saw on film. He's bigger than he measured. when you stand next to him, he just has a bigger feel to him than 6037. He's a really good athlete for his size, he's got good twitch, and he's well-rounded," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke told Jaguars reporter John Oehser.

"There's a lot of things that he can do and I think that's one of the things that coach talks about with the tight end room is that versatility. He can line up as a Y on the line of scrimmage and block from there, he can line up in the backfield and he can move throughout the formation. So really excited about where he's at but again, another young guy that, he gonna have to develop and learn how to do everything that we're going to be asking him to do."

3rd, No. 88: RB Tank Bigsby, Auburn

The Jaguars have made an emphasis on drafting height/weight/speed players, seemingly acting like a team that wants to add size and speed each time they invest a premium pick. Running back Tank Bigsby checks both of those boxes, showing off the burst and size one would hope to see from a third-round back in person. While it is more noteworthy if a running back doesn't stand out in these practices (which happens more than most think), it was impressive to see Bigsby's size and explosiveness in person. He is cut from a different cloth than any other back on the roster.

"Love Tank, love what he brings as a kind of well-rounded running back. So when you look at, you just throw the stats out, top five fastest running backs in the draft, top five heaviest running backs in the draft, top five yards after contact in the draft. So he's a guy that plays physical, he plays aggressive, he's going to finish runs, he's going to finish runs going forward," Waugh said about Bigsby.

"And then despite that physicality, he's still pretty effective in the passing game. So I think that gives us another guy. I think in this day and age, leaning on one, running back's pretty hard. So the more you have in that room, the better."

4th, No. 121: LB Ventrell Miller, Florida

One of a handful of rookies who didn't practice fully was fourth-round linebacker Ventrell Miller. Doug Pederson said the Jaguars would be developing a plan for his return from foot surgery now that he is under the direction of their training staff, though it appears unclear when he will be cleared for full participation. Until then, though, the Jaguars think the former Gators team captain is going to fit right in.

"I think when you look at the film when Ventrell's healthy, he's a really good football player," Waugh said. "He's very instinctive, he's quick, he can run, and then additionally off the field and in the locker room there at Florida, he's been a multiple-year captain. He's a fantastic kid. He has the DNA right that we're looking for in the locker room."

4th, No. 130: DL Tyler Lacy, Oklahoma State

If there were any questions about exactly where the Oklahoma State product will play, they were answered during rookie minicamp. Lacy spent the entirety of camp with defensive line coach Brentson Buckner as opposed to working with outside linebacker coach Bill Shuey. While Lacy may spend some snaps as a big end, he is set to be an interior defensive lineman for the Jaguars through and through.

5th, No. 136: EDGE Yasir Abdullah, Louisville

It will be fascinating to watch fifth round pass-rusher Yasir Abdullah develop. The lightning-quick pass-rass rusher looked like one of the best overall athletes on the field during rookie minicamp but also had a bulked-up frame that looked far larger than the 237 pounds he weighed in at during the combine. While his height will always be a talking point with him, Waugh had an interesting perspective.

"You know what, I think there's probably -- he's probably going to rush a lot of the same way, but it's really more of a learning curve for the tackles that have to block him, right?" Waugh said. "So those guys that come off with speed and are a little bit lower, they give those tall tackles trouble. So I think in his case, a lot of times it'll be an advantage."

5th, No. 160: DB Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M

One of the bigger steals of the 2023 NFL Draft was presumably fifth-round safety Antonio Johnson, who was tabbed by many as a potential Day 2 pick. While Waugh wasn't as emphatic in his surprise at Johnson being available, it was nice to see confirmation in the Jaguars' belief in his ability as an enforcer in space.

"A little bit surprised, but I think as you get into that range in the draft teams kind of diverge a little bit on what they need to fill out their rosters and some players kind of slip a little bit and you end up getting a good bargain on a guy," Waugh said.

"I think when you see him out there today, you'll see a long player. He's very tall, he's lean, he's got long arms, covers a lot of ground and physical. He's a physical tackler. That's probably his best asset."

6th, No. 185: WR Parker Washington, Penn State

One of many players who goes through the pre-draft process with injuries limiting the available data was sixth-round wide receiver Parker Washington. Had Washington been healthy during the draft process, he is likely drafted a good bit earlier than he was. Instead, he is a Jaguar, with the Jaguars' front office having their own ways of getting the information they need.

"Testing numbers are becoming less and less available in the draft at this point. So his was necessarily because of injury, but we have some other ways to measure speed. We also have information from the school," Waugh said. "Their strength coach can provide us with all kinds of information about it. And then a big part of what we do here is just the video. How fast does he play? Can he do the things that we're going to ask of him once he's here? And I think he certainly can do that."

6th, No. 202: CB Christian Braswell, Rutgers

6th, No. 208: S Erick Hallett II, Pittsburgh

Two of the most intriguing Day 3 picks made by the Jaguars, rookie cornerbacks Christian Braswell and Erick Hallett each spent time practicing at the Jaguars' two different cornerback spots. It remains to be seen exactly how far either can push Tre Herndon in the slot, but all indications are that they will get a chance.

7th, No. 226: OL Cooper Hodges, App. State

The hulking Baker County product looks like he will start off his Jaguars career as a right guard. This makes sense considering the Jaguars know their depth at left guard with Tyler Shatley and Ben Bartch, while the backup right guard position behind Brandon Scherff could be up for grabs.

7th, No. 227: DL Raymond Vohasek, UNC

Another player who wasn't a full participant, nose tackle Raymond Vohasek is an interesting upside pick by the Jaguars. As Waugh explained, some of the intel they got on Vahasek came from outside Chapel Hill, instead coming from the teams that played Bohasekand UNC.

"He's kind of the throwback. He's the blue collar interior defensive lineman that has all of those qualities. And he's a unique case in that he was a junior college player, so he wasn't really highly recruited out of high school. And North Carolina is not taking very many junior college players," Waugh said.

"And he ended up there and had a heck of a career. And what we hear is we heard a lot of good things about him from the school, from North Carolina, but then when you talk to the schools they play, that's always somebody that they bring up like, Hey, take a look at this guy. He gave us problems."

7th, No. 240: FB Derek Parish, Houston

A player who Waugh tabbed as "savvy and high-effort,", Parish went through his first NFL practice as a fullback after playing defensive end with Houston. Waugh said it was the Jaguars' private workout with Parish at his pro day that showed them he can play the position.

"As long as they have instincts, as long as they can run, they're good with contact. I think there's a role for a guy in the NFL. He was a pretty successful edge rusher there. Again, being a smaller guy, but very fast," Waugh said.

"And I think we do a lot of things on offense formationally, we present a lot of people problems and having a fullback I think allows us to do even more of that, kind of give more two-back looks. So he's a guy that we want to try and quite frankly, there aren't many fullbacks in college football. That's kind of a dinosaur."