How Have the Jaguars Utilized the No. 9 Overall Pick in Past Drafts?

Week of the draft. In a few short days, the countless storylines, smokescreens, and rumors will all come to a conclusion, and each team will have their latest stable of rookies.

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, Thursday night, and the following two days, will be especially pivotal. Jacksonville has recorded a meager record of 11-21 in the last two seasons, but are now equipped with 12 picks, including two in the first round, to rebuild a roster that has been overhauled.

The earliest of those two first-rounders? The No. 9 overall pick, which is a result of the Jaguars' 6-10 finish in 2019. This is the second-latest pick the Jaguars have had under general manager Dave Caldwell since 2013 (they picked No. 29 in 2018), and whatever Caldwell decides to do with the pick will be key in determining how 2020 unfolds in Jacksonville.

While it is of course possible for the Jaguars to trade away the No. 9 pick in either a move up in the draft or in a trade back, there is an equally strong chance the Jaguars stay pat and pick at No. 9. After all, the Jaguars have never once traded in the first-round under Caldwell. That could obviously change in 2020, but it hasn't been Caldwell's M.O. in the past.

With this in mind, it is worth taking a look back in Jaguars' history to see what the franchise's hit rate is on the No. 9 overall pick in the past. While this has no bearing on this year's pick, it is still an interesting exercise.

We would do the same for the No. 20 overall pick, the Jaguars' second first-rounder this year, but this is the first year the Jaguars have ever picked No. 20. They have picked No. 21 three different times, however: 1997 (Renaldo Wynn), 2005 (Matt Jones), and 2007 (Reggie Nelson).

As for the No. 9 overall pick, the Jaguars have also held that selection three previous times as well. How did they use those picks, and were they worthwhile selections? We take a look.

1998: No. 9 overall, RB Fred Taylor

Universally considered one of the team's top-three players of all-time, it is hard to say this pick was anything other than a home run by Tom Coughlin and the Jaguars' staff. The Jaguars didn't have to travel far to scout Taylor after he starred at the University of Florida toward the end of the century, and taking the former Gator would end up becoming one of the biggest decisions in franchise history.

Taylor would go on to spend 11 years in Jacksonville, playing in 140 regular season games and frequently finding himself near the top of the list of top running backs in the NFL. In 11 years in Jacksonville, Taylor rushed 2,428 times for 11,271 yards (4.6 yards per carry) with 62 touchdowns and 286 receptions for 2,361 yards and eight receiving scores.

Taylor's run in Jacksonville backfield consisted of seven seasons in which he rushed for at least 1,000 yards and 32 rushing scores in his first three seasons. In Eight playoff games, the big, athletic back recorded 129 carries for 613 yards (4.75 yards per carry) and three touchdowns, including one of the most famous plays in Jaguars' history: a 90-yard touchdown in a rout of the Miami Dolphins in Dan Marino's final game in the divisional round of the 1999 playoffs.

As it stands today, Taylor leads the Jaguars all-time in rushing attempts and rushing yards, and he still has a close relationship with the franchise. Taylor is one of the best players who has ever donned a Jaguars jersey, making this one of the greatest picks in the team's short history.

2002: No. 9 overall, DT John Henderson

One of the most physically imposing players who has ever called Jacksonville home, Big John Henderson lived up to his massive size (6-foot-7, 335-pounds). Henderson was a stalwart at defensive tackle for the majority of the Jack Del Rio era, and he is still considered among the Jaguars' best-ever interior defensive linemen.

Playing for the franchise for eight seasons, Henderson played in 124 games and recorded 426 tackles, 29 sacks, 58 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. But Henderson's impact went far beyond the stat sheet, as he became a game-changer in the middle of the Jaguars' defense thanks to his ability to command double teams and disrupt interior offensive lines.

During Henderson's tenure with the team, the Jaguars fielded defenses that were ranked No. 4, No. 6, No. 7, and No. 9 in points allowed at different points. Henderson was a big reason for this, as well as for the two playoff appearances the Jaguars made during this period.

Henderson may have never put up the unreal stats of some defensive tackles today, but he was a core piece to the second-best era of Jaguars' football in team history. To get that kind of consistency out of a top-10 pick for eight seasons is always a positive, and the Henderson pick still holds up today as one of the Jaguars' best decisions of the 2000s decade.

2004: No. 9 overall, WR Reggie Williams

The only player on this list who isn't considered a top Jaguars of all-time, Reggie Williams never found the success of Taylor or Henderson, though his talent was always obvious.

Only playing for the Jaguars, or any NFL team, for five seasons, the former Washington Huskies wideout was a big-bodied presence for the Jaguars at 6-foot-4, 233-pounds. His size made him one of the key pieces to the Jaguars' passing game during the mid-2000s, and he was a security blanket for both David Garrard and Byron Leftwich.

In 79 career games, Williams recorded 189 receptions for 2,322 yards and 18 touchdowns, including 10 touchdown catches in 2007. Williams never eclipsed 700 hards in a season in his time in Jacksonville, but he did appear in three playoff games for the Jaguars.

Williams was a solid player who was never a true No. 1 wide receiver on rushing-based offenses. Because of this, his production was never spectacular and he was unable to live up to his draft status, ultimately becoming the least successful of any of the Jaguars No. 9 selections.

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