5 Best Draft Picks by Jaguars During Dave Caldwell’s Tenure As GM

Which picks have been the most successful since Dave Caldwell took over as general manager in 2013?

After it was announced that Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell would return to lead the franchise's front office in 2019, his track record over the last seven seasons has been examined every which way possible. 

Like any general manager, Caldwell has had his fair share of both hits and misses. But unlike many front office executives, some of the years of Caldwell's tenure as general manager included another voice in the operation. In Caldwell's case, it was former Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin. Coughlin called the shots in Jacksonville with an assist from Caldwell, but it has never been outright said who was the primary person making picks in each draft. 

For this exercise, we are going to base our selections off the assumption that Caldwell had a powerful voice in the Jaguars' draft room. We are also not going to include picks that were obvious ones to make, such as selecting Jalen Ramsey in 2016. We are also not going to include any selections from the 2019 NFL Draft since it is still so early on in the careers of those players. 

With that said, here are our picks for the five best draft selections by the Jaguars since 2013.

5) WR DJ Chark - No. 61 overall (2018)

A raw speedster out of LSU, Jacksonville took a chance on DJ Chark in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the hope he could eventually turn into the big-play threat the team lost when Allen Robinson departed in free agency. 

After one season, it appeared as if the Jaguars would have a long time to wait for Chark to grow into a legitimate weapon, finishing his rookie year with only 14 catches 174 yards. But in year two, Chark showed he was worth the high investment Caldwell, Coughlin, and the Jaguars put into his development. He became on the AFC's most productive wide receivers, catching 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns, resulting in the best single-season a Jaguars' wide receiver has had since Robinson's stellar 2015 season. In Chark, the Jaguars appeared to hit a complete home run. 

4) WR Allen Robinson - No. 61 overall (2014)

Had Allen Robinson played more than three seasons worth of games for the Jaguars, he likely would've been much higher on this list. Unfortunately for Jacksonville's sake, he only played in 43 games with the franchise after being selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft due to a season-ending foot injury midway through his rookie season and a torn ACL in Week 1 of the 2017 season. 

But when Robinson was healthy, he was a dominant force for an offense that centered around his skill set. In his time in Jacksonville, Robinson caught 202 passes for 2,848 yards and 22 touchdowns. The highlight of his Jaguars tenure came in 2015, a Pro Bowl year that saw him catch 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. From a pure talent standpoint, Robinson is one pick Caldwell will always be able to hang his hat on. If Jacksonville was able to keep him around for longer than four years, he could arguably have become Caldwell's best pick.

3) LB Telvin Smith - No. 144 overall (2014)

Despite Telvin Smith's premature retirement before the 2019 season, Smith was one of Caldwell's most productive draft picks ever and was terrific value considering he was drafted in the fifth round. 

For the five years of Smith's career, he was the heart and soul of Jacksonville's defensive, flying around the field like a heat-seeking missile and bringing a fiery passion onto the field. He was named a Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro in 2017, a year in which he recorded 102 tackles (12 for loss), two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, three interceptions, and one defensive touchdown. His early departure from the Jaguars was unforeseen and consequential, leading to a revolving door at the linebacker position for Jacksonville in 2019. Despite that, and the poor 2018 season Smith had, he is still one of Caldwell's best picks.

2) C Brandon Linder - No. 93 overall (2014)

Starting 70 games for Jacksonville since being selected in the third-round, center Brandon Linder has been a valuable piece on the offensive line at both right guard and center. He shifted to center full-time in 2016 and has since been one of the more consistent players at his position in the NFL when healthy. 

He has had some durability issues, missing games in each of the first five years of his career, but played 16 games for the first time in his career in 2019. Linder has been voted a team captain each of the several past seasons and is well-respected inside of the Jaguars' locker room due to both his play and his ability to lead off of the field. For a team with as many offensive line issues as Jacksonville has had in Caldwell's tenure, Linder has been a big bright spot. 

1) DE Yannick Ngakoue - No. 69 overall (2016)

After falling to the Jaguars' third-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue felt like there was a chip on his shoulder the size of the state of Florida. Since then, Ngakoue has used that chip to fuel him to becoming one of the best defensive linemen in Jacksonville's history after only four short years. 

Only missing one game in four seasons, Ngakoue has been a model of consistency for Jacksonville on the field, never finishing with less than eight sacks in a season. A Pro Bowler in 2017 after a 12-sack season, Ngakoue has proven to be one of the best playmakers at his position in the league thanks to his ability to generate turnovers (14 forced fumbles). He is second in franchise history in sacks with 37.5 and is due for a big payday in the upcoming months -- whether from Jacksonville or elsewhere. Finding great value and a top-tier defensive end in Ngakoue will forever be one of Caldwell's best moves as general manager, if not the best move.