Training Camp Means Clock is Ticking For 3 Members of Jaguars' 2023 Draft Class

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The 2023 NFL Draft was very, very kind to the Jaguars.

The Jaguars made a franchise-record 13 selections in 2023, with general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson using the picks to supplement a roster that had just gone 9-8 and won the AFC South a year before.

A few years later, seven of those picks still remain: right tackle Anton Harrison, tight end Brenton Strange, linebacker Ventrell Miller, linebacker Yasir Abdullah, safety Antonio Johnson, wide receiver Parker Washington, and cornerback Christian Braswell.

Strange has already gotten his big pay-day from the Jaguars, while Harrison had his fifth-year option picked up, Parker Washington looks next up on the extension list, and Antonio Johnson is fresh off a breakout season. But what about the other remaining members of the 2023 NFL Draft and where they stand with the Jaguars ahead of training camp?

LB Ventell Miller

No player on this list is entering a more make-or-break year than Ventrell Miller, while no player is quite as safe as Miller when it comes to the 53-man roster, either. Miller is a lock for the Jaguars' roster and is the favorite to replace Devin Lloyd at the linebacker spot next to Foyesade Oluokun, though he still needs to outright win the job from Branson Combs and Parker Hughes first.

Miller has appeared in the most games (32) of any player on this list, and the former fourth-round pick has done that even with missing his entire rookie year due to injuries. He started nine games in 2024 as the Jaguars dealt with injuries at the linebacker position all season, and he then started two games for the Jaguars last year as Lloyd missed a few games.

Ventrell Miller always does some good things pic.twitter.com/tm6VwpqJoT
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) October 20, 2025

“Ventrell's done I think a really good job to this point. There's a bunch of guys battling it out in that room right now. But Ventrell did a good job for us last year and played a bunch for us," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said during the offseason program in June.

"He's a really physical guy. I think one of the things that he brings to our defense is a physicality in the run game and having been around and had a few guys like that in the past, I think we’ve got a really good feel for how he fits in, how to use him and really try to play to his strengths within the defense.”

Miller has a wide-range of outcomes entering training camp. Either he enters the year as a starter and gives himself a chance to have a breakout season in a contract year, or he fails to secure the starting job and spends his final year on his rookie deal as a backup once again. Where he likely lands is somewhere in the middle -- starting in Week 1, but perhaps not a major key cog in terms of the team's plans past 2026.

LB Yasir Abdullah

It is very clear what former fifth-rounder Yasir Abdullah has to do to earn a spot with the Jaguars in 2026. Abdullah has been a reliable special teamer for years now, but this time around he will have to fend off 2025 Day 3 pick Jalen McLMcLeod to ensure his spot on the roster is safe and sound. Abdullah certainly has the special teams and experience edge over McLeod, though he may have to show something more to keep his place on the depth chart.

If there was one area where the Jaguars have always seemed excited when it comes to McLeod, it is his ability as a pass-rusher. McLeod thrived in that department in college, and the Jaguars could certainly use some boost to their pass-rush depth moving forward. With that in mind, perhaps it is too early to count out Abdullah completely in that deparment either.

Abdullah has not done much in limited pass-rush snaps in the past, recording zero sacks and two quarterback hits in 110 pass-rush snaps since he was drafted. But he was a productive college pass-rusher, finshing his career at Louisville eighth in career sacks (23.5) and leading the ACC in sacks with 9.5 in 2022.

If Abdullah can find that pass-rush spark then he could put up a fight when it comes to keeping his spot on the roster moving forward. If not, then the job seems like it will go to McLeod and Abdullah could be on the outside looking in when it comes to making the roster out of training camp.

CB Christian Braswell

A sixth-round pick in the Jaguars' class of '23, Christian Braswell has carved out a nice role for himself. He has now played for three different defensive staffs, but he has been able to earn the trust of each of them thanks to his consistency, ability to play inside and out, and the impact he makes on special teams. With that in mind, there are some questions that will have to now be answered with training camp right around the corner. be answered now

Braswell was a training camp standout for the Jaguars last year and quickly took on the most important role he has held yet, and the results were mostly positive. While all of this will certainly help Braswell's case, the veteran cornerback will have to likely battle new offseason standout Jabbar Muhammad, which very easily could be harder to do than previously thought.

Muhammad did not have a ton of buzz entering the 2026 offseason program after spending last year on the practice squad, but he took the defense by storm over the course of OTAs and minicamp. Muhammad was the biggest riser on the entire roster as a result of his production and performances on the practice field this season, and it is clear that the best man will now have to win between him and Braswell.

If Braswell does not beat out Muhammad, then he would likely have to hope the Jaguars carry six cornerbacks. Otherwise, he could be bound for the practice squad moving forward.

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