5 Greatest First-Round Picks in Jaguars History: The Ones Who Changed Duval

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars will enter this month's draft without a first-round pick for the first time in franchise history and, frankly, it still feels weird.

So much of the Jaguars' history and sources of offseason hopes and debates have been wrapped up in the draft over the years. While the Jaguars hold 11 picks in this year's draft, it feels like an appropriate time to look back on the biggest hits the Jaguars have ever made in the first round.

CB Jalen Ramsey (2016)

Let's just get this one out of the way. I know there will be debate because there are a lot of other Jaguars first-round picks who had stellar tenures as career Jaguars: Kevin Hardy, Donovin Darius, John Henderson, Marcedes Lewis, and then there are solid names like Marcus Stroud and Eugene Monroe. With that said, I think Ramsey deserves the spot.

Ramsey was only with the Jaguars for 51 games, but he was the face of the team that nearly got to the Super Bowl and is one of the only Jaguars who can say they were the NFL's best player at their position at some point. He has picked up more accolades since his, well, dramatic exit, but he was a multiple-time Pro Bowler and made a first-team All-Pro in Jacksonville. The only other players in franchise history who can say that are Tony Boselli, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Ross Matiscik.

I understand the feelings toward Ramsey and how he left. It was a messy divorce. But it was also a divorce from that Jaguars regime and nothing beyond that, and Ramsey is one of the only Jaguars first-round picks who can make a real case for the Hall of Fame.

QB Trevor Lawrence (2021)

trevor lawrebc — A Jacksonville Jaguars fan hold up a sign supporting quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16), not shown, during the fourth quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The face of the franchise, Trevor Lawrence is the Jaguars' first real success story when it comes to drafting quarterbacks. He is the first one to actually become the franchise savior at least, even with a rough rookie season and then an injury-filled 2024 one. Lawrence did not become Peyton Manning the second he hit the NFL field, but he has lived up to his promise and became the first real franchise quarterback in the team's history.

The scary thing is that Lawrence has likely not even shown his best. He is already on his third head coach, a reflection of the team's turmoil at times during his career. Liam Coen proved last year that he is the coach who can get the best out of Lawrence, and all expectations are that Lawrence will soar in his second year in the system.

Did Lawrence become an elite quarterback out of the gate? No. Does he still need to play well in 2026 to prove it wasn't a fluke? Sure. But he is the first hit the franchise has ever had in a first-round quarterback. That counts for something, right?

DE Josh Hines-Allen (2019)

Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) runs out of the tunnel before the game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The franchise-sack leader, it is easy to say Josh Hines-Allen is the heart of the franchise. First, we can talk about the player. Hines-Allen has been one of the most productive pass-rushers in football in every year of his career but two: an injury-shortened 2020 season and the 2021 season under Urban Meyer. Otherwise, Hines-Allen has consistently been one of the best edge defenders in football at impacting the quarterback, frequently ranking in the top-5 of pressures and showing double-digit sack talent.

Then there is the person. Few people have ever poured into Jacksonville the way Hines-Allen has. He has embraced Duval from the first moment and has arguably represented the franchise the best anyone ever has since the days of Boselli, Taylor and Brunell. Hines-Allen is everything the Jaguars are trying to be as a franchise, and one day his name will be on the stadium. You can bet that much.

RB Fred Taylor (1998)

The most electrifying player to ever touch the ball for the franchise, Fred Taylor is the most underrated running back of an entire generation. He was so gifted and such a rare talent that he earned the respect of Jim Brown, arguably the greatest player in the sport's history. Ray Lewis and other top defenders of the era said it was always Taylor that their team knew the focus had to be on.

I met a random guy at an event last night. He claimed to have met Jim Brown in the year 2000. He told me he asked Mr. Brown, “Who is the best running back in the NFL, and who is your favorite running back?” Mr. Brown responded, “Fred Taylor, and I’ll take him twice.” —->
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) February 16, 2026

The leading record-holder of anything and everything running back related in franchise history, Taylor has been snubbed by the Hall of Fame in recent years. Nobody in Duval has ever forgotten him, though, and he has remained close with the franchise since his playing days ended. Fred Taylor is the best running back in a franchise history that prides itself on the position, and for good reason.

OT Tony Boselli (1995)

tony boselliu — Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin, left, is awarded a trophy for being named to the Jaguar Ring of Honor in 2024, by Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If Trevor Lawrence is the face of the Jaguars and Josh Hines-Allen is the heart, then Tony Boselli is its soul. The Jaguars' EVP of football operations has redefined his Jaguars history by helping the team land Liam Coen as head coach, and then leading the search to hire general manager James Gladstone alongside Coen. Fast forward one season, and the Jaguars improved by nine wins, won the AFC South, and hosted a home playoff game.

That doesn't even go to mention the fact that he is a Hall of Fame offensive tackle. A five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, Boselli is the only Jaguars draft pick to so far carve out a Hall of fame career. Boselli was one of the best offensive linemen of an entire generation, and the drafting of him in 1995 went on to be a move that impacted the franchise even three decades later.

The best Jaguar of all-time.