Jaguars Draft Grade: A-

The Jaguars had many holes to fill coming into the 2020 draft. General Manager Dave Caldwell may have had his best draft yet in a crucial year for the organization. With twelve selections in seven rounds, the Jags were able to improve almost every significant weakness on the roster. 

The selection of C.J. Henderson with the ninth pick was disheartening to many fans, but Caldwell made the right move filling the number one corner spot. After losing both Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, Caldwell could not risk coming out of the draft without a potential starting corner.

At 20, the Jags decided to draft K’Lavon Chaisson, an edge rusher from LSU. Although Caldwell announced Yannick Ngakoue will be a Jaguar in 2020, the team had to have a backup plan in case of a holdout. Regardless of if Ngakoue holds out or not, Chaisson looks to be the long-term starter for the Jags.

Throughout the remainder of the draft, the Jaguars’ front office selected multiple players at most positions of need, adding a few weapons for Gardner Minshew while also building depth on defense.

The one area I would criticize Caldwell on in the draft is the way he approached the offensive line. After signing zero in free agency, he only went with one in the entire draft Ben Bartch. With an abundance of extra picks I would have liked to have seen Caldwell packaged them for a trade up when there were players like Houston’s Josh Jones sliding. 

Besides the questionable approach to the offensive line, Caldwell could have just had one of the best drafts in Jaguars history and one that will hopefully bring prosperity to a desperate organization.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.