How Valuable Is the 42nd Overall Pick for the Jaguars? What Recent NFL Draft History Indicates

Needing a massive influx of talent, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a prime opportunity to build their roster in the 2020 NFL Draft thanks to a pair of first-round draft picks and a pick early in the second round.

Jacksonville currently holds picks No. 9 and 20, with the latter coming as a result of the Jaguars trading cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams for a haul of draft picks in October. Jacksonville's first pick aside from the Day one will be the 42nd overall selection, the tenth pick of the draft's second round.

When looking at the Jaguars' picks, the question is just how much can the players Jacksonville selects in the early rounds can help the team in 2020 and beyond. Jacksonville will obviously be looking for players who can make an instant impact, but for the sake of the team's future, they will need to hit on players who can contribute for many seasons past 2020.

To gauge the types of players Jacksonville can draft at these selections, we will look at the recent history of players taken in these draft slots. Of course, every draft class has different pools of talent and, in some cases, extremely talented players will fall to the ninth pick due to the depth of the draft class.

With this said, let's look at the last 10 players selected with the No. 42 overall pick and how valuable those players were to the teams who drafted them.

2010 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: TE Rob Gronkowski (selected by New England Patriots).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 9.

Accolades: Selected to five Pro Bowls. Four-time First-Team All-Pro (2011, 2014, 2015, 2017).

Stats with New England: 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns.

One of the best tight ends in NFL history, Rob Gronkowski is near or at the top of nearly every all-time tight end record. He was one of the most important pieces of three Super Bowl teams, becoming a favorite of Tom Brady and one of the most lethal pass-catching threats in the league. The future Pro Football Hall of Famer was a home run pick.

2011 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: LB Brooks Reed (selected by Houston Texans).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 4

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with Houston: 14.5 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, 34 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles.

Brooks Reed never grew into the consistent pass-rusher the Texans were obviously hoping he'd become, but he was never a true liability. He didn't perform well enough to be deserving of a second deal with the team, though, which is never ideal for a second-round pick.

2012 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: OT Jonathan Martin (selected by Miami Dolphins).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 2.

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with Miami: Played and started in 23 games at right and left tackle.

More well known for the harassment scandal he found himself at the center of during the 2014 season, Martin only spent three seasons in the NFL and was traded by the Dolphins after two seasons. When Martin did play, he struggled mightily. This pick was a failure for several reasons.

2013 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: OT Menelik Watson (selected by Oakland Raiders).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 3.

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with Raiders: Played in 27 games, starting 17.

Oakland only got 17 starts from Menelik Watson, and never more than nine in a season. Getting that little of an impact from a second-round pick is never going to be talked about in a positive light for obvious reasons. Watson played for Denver in his fourth season but has not played a snap since.

2014 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: WR Jordan Matthews (selected by Philadelphia Eagles).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 3 in original tenure.

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with Philadelphia: 249 receptions for 3,006 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Jordan Matthews has had three different tenures with the Eagles: his first lasted three seasons before he played for Buffalo for a season. He returned to the Eagles in 2018 before finding himself without a team in 2019. After several injuries, the Eagles signed him yet again. He caught 16 touchdown passes in his first two seasons but ultimately wasn't enough of a game-changed to warrant his draft slot.

2015 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: CB Jalen Collins (selected by Atlanta Falcons).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 3.

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with Atlanta: Two interceptions, 10 pass deflections, two tackles for loss.

Collins played a big part in the Falcons' 2016 Super Bowl run, but missed 14 games in two seasons due to violations of NFL substance abuse and performance enhancing substances policies. This led to Collins lasting less than three whole seasons in Atlanta, a quick end to what was hardly an impactful era.

2016 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: OLB/DE Kamalei Correa (selected by Baltimore Ravens).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 2.

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with Baltimore: Zero sacks, one tackle for loss, one QB hit, one forced fumble.

Traded for a sixth-round selection before the 2018 season began, Baltimore never got any returns in selecting Correa in the top 50. He has been substantially more productive in Tennessee, however.

2017 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: S Marcus Williams (selected by New Orleans Saints).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 3 and counting.

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with New Orleans: 10 interceptions, 23 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, one sack, one tackle for loss.

Despite Marcus Williams being on the wrong end of the Minneapolis Miracle in 2017, he has been a great addition to the Saints' defense. He has shown up as a playmaker against the pass and has played a large role in transforming the unit's reputation.

2018 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: TE Mike Gesicki (selected by Miami Dolphins).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 2 and counting.

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with Miami: 73 receptions for 772 yards and five touchdowns.

After an unproductive rookie season, athletic tight end Mike Gesicki displayed the traits in 2019 that made him such a high selection in the NFL draft to begin with. If he can take another step in 2020, how successful of a pick this was will become even more clear.

2019 NFL Draft

No. 42 overall pick: QB Drew Lock (selected by Denver Broncos).

Seasons with the team who drafted him: 1 and counting.

Accolades: No awards.

Stats with Denver: Completed 64.1% of passes for 1,020 yards and seven with touchdowns with three interceptions. 3-1 record as starter.

Replacing Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen as the Broncos' primary signal-caller for the final quarter of the 2019 season, Lock did enough to establish himself as worthy of the starting gig in 2020. He was a breathe of fresh air for a franchise who had gone years without good quarterback play from a young passer, and his trajectory is only pointing upward.