Which Jaguars Rookies Have the Best Chances To Make Instant Impacts?
No other team in the NFL will have as many draft picks kick off minicamps this month as the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a franchise-record 13 picks made in April's draft, the Jaguars' 2023 class is set to make up potentially up to 20% of the roster come Week 1.
But which of the Jaguars' 13 picks has the clearest path to playing time and being instant impact players as rookies? We rank them from best chances to worst chances below.
No. 1: OT Anton Harrison
Even in the event that Cam Robinson returns as a starter at some point during the 2023 season, first-round offensive tackle Anton Harrison still has the best chance of all of the 13 picks to make an instant impact. Harrison will start at least the first two to eight games at right tackle, while also being the top option to fill in if the Jaguars run into offensive line injuries. Plus, the Jaguars could always keep Harrison as a starter even when Robinson returns. He could be a 17-game starter as a rookie.
No. 2: TE Brenton Strange
Nothing we have seen to this point indicates to us that the Jaguars don't have a specific plan for Brenton Strange. Whether using a late second-round pick on an athletic tight end who can be a chess piece in the running game properly takes positional value into account will be determined down the road, but for now it appears Strange will have a very defined and niche role as a rookie. He may not have a lot of passes go to his way, but he will make an impact as a blocker because the Jaguars believe he can do so from a number of alignments.
No. 3: EDGE Yasir Abdullah
This will probably be the most surprising ranking, but maybe it shouldn't be. Doug Pederson has been given multiple chances since the draft to say whether the Jaguars may have interest in a veteran pass-rusher, and he has shot down the idea each time. If the Jaguars don't add anyone to the outside linebacker room, Abdullah could start the season as either the No. 3 or No. 4 pass-rusher in the room, which should help him find more snaps than some of the other names on this list.
No. 4: RB Tank Bigsby
While some may see Tank Bigsby as the Jaguars' answer to their short-yardage issues from a year ago, it seems more like the drafting of Bigsby is to ensure the Jaguars have a deep stable of running backs and don't have to solely rely on Travis Etienne. Bigsby should have his chances, but there is only one football and he is already competing with a 1,000-yard rusher and a proven veteran in Etienne and JaMycal Hasty.
No. 5: DL Tyler Lacy
Tyler Lacy projects as a rotational defensive lineman early on with the Jaguars. The Jaguars' top three defensive linemen are clearly set to be DaVon Hamilton, Roy Robertson-Harris and Foley Fatukasi, while Adam Gotsis also will likely fight for the No. 4 role. Lacy will get snaps here and there, but not as a starter.
No. 6: WR Parker Washington
This may be a bit high for Parker Washington, but in our eyes he is only an injury away from seeing major snaps. Doug Pederson says he sees Washington as a slot type, which means he will be Christian Kirk's immediate backup if he makes the team. The Jaguars didn't have many options in the slot last year in the few events Kirk was banged up, so Washington could be the first man up if Kirk ever misses time this year.
No. 7: S Antonio Johnson
The expectation is for Antonio Johnson to push for the No. 4 safety role with Daniel Thomas while also serving as a key special teams player. While the rest of the defensive backs the Jaguars drafted still have to fight to make the roster, Johnson is at least safe to be a second-teamer.
No. 8: DB Erick Hallett II
Trent Baalke said after the draft that the Jaguars believe Erick Hallett II can play nickel cornerback, safety, and even as an option in Big Nickel looks. If the Jaguars believe Hallett can wear that many hats as a rookie, then he should have a chance to find the field as a rookie if injuries hit the secondary.
No. 9: CB Christian Braswell
The only reason that Erick Hallett is above Christian Braswell here is because it seems like the Jaguars believe Hallett has cornerback and safety versatility, while Braswell projects solely as a cornerback. Still, he could have a chance to fight for snaps during training camp if he can get on a roll and impress.
No. 10: LB Ventrell Miller
Special teams snaps could be Ventrell Miller's way to get onto the field, which is why he is ahead of the other final names on this list. With that said, the Jaguars are clearly going to devote as many snaps at linebacker as they can to the likes of Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma. Miller doesn't seem like a candidate to overtake Shaquille Quarterman on the depth chart as a rookie, either.
No. 11: OL Cooper Hodges
The only way it appears that Cooper Hodges will see the field as a rookie is if the Jaguars have a string of injuries along the interior offensive line. One can presume the Jaguars will enter with either Tyler Shatley or Ben Bartch as their top backup guard, while Blake Hance will likely be right behind them.
No. 12: FB Derick Parish
Maybe the Jaguars give Derick Parish a spot on the 53-man roster, but it just seems hard to believe that they will exit training camp with a full back on the roster. Parish could make an impact on special teams if he makes the roster, it just seems unlikely to me that he does since the Jaguars can get the same type of versatility from Brenton Strange. I think Parish will be on the practice squad this year.
No. 13: DL Raymond Vohasek
The Jaguars have enough veteran interior defensive linemen to make it tough for a seventh-round pick like Raymond Vohasek to see the field without injuries. They already have their three starters in DaVon Hamilton, Roy Robertson-Harris, and Foley Fatukasi, along with depth pieces in Adam Gotsis, Michael Dogbe, and Henry Mondeaux.
