JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- NFL.com’s Jim Reineking did a couple interesting pieces in which he ranked the five best and worst draft classes of the past 25 years.
It wasn’t a ranking of the best and worst drafts by a single team, but rather a look at the entire draft class. He used elite talent, Pro Bowler, All-Pros, and impact on the game to compiled the rankings.
I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the Jaguars’ contribution to the five best draft classes. I’ll look at their contribution to the five worst on Wednesday.
The five best
2001
What NFL.com said: Two future Hall of Famers end up in San Diego (LaDanian Tomlinson and Drew Brees). … Michael Vick goes with the first overall pick to Atlanta. … Receivers Reggie Wayne and Steve Smith, both of whom are arguably Hall of Fame candidates, are drafted this year.
The Jaguars’ contribution: DT Marcus Stroud, OT Maurice Williams, LB Eric Westmoreland, S James Boyd, P David Leaverton, G Chad Ward, LB Anthony Denman, S Marlon McCree, WR Richmond Flowers, LS/DT Randy Chevrier.
Comment: Other than Stroud, this was an underwhelming class. He went on to make three Pro Bowls and ranks sixth in team history with 22.0 sacks. Williams played nine years with the Jaguars and played in all 16 games in five seasons. McCree had 16 interceptions in eight seasons in the NFL.
2007
What NFL.com said: A ridiculous amount of potential Hall of Famers go in the top 14 picks: No. 2 Calvin Johnson, No. 3 Joe Thomas, No. 7 Adrian Peterson, No. 11 Patrick Willis, and No. 14 Darrelle Revis. … Almost makes up for one of the biggest draft busts in history: JaMarcus Russell.
The Jaguars’ contribution: FS Reggie Nelson, LB Justin Durant, WR Mike Sims-Walker, P Adam Podlesh, DE Brian Smith, G Uche Nwaneri, S Josh Gattis, DT Derek Landri, WR John Broussard, LB Chad Nkang, OT Andrew Carnahan.
Comment: Nelson had an up-and-down career with the Jaguars but has been a much better player in Cincinnati. Durant has 516 tackles in eight seasons with Jacksonville and Dallas but has battled injuries throughout his career. Nwaneri played in 104 games (starting 92) in seven seasons.
1996
What NFL.com said: Baltimore drafted two Hall of Famers in Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis. … This class earned the most combined Pro Bowls in the last 25 years (115). … Other notable players drafted are Eddie George, Terrell Owens, and Brian Dawkins.
The Jaguars’ contribution: LB Kevin Hardy, DE Tony Brackens, C Michael Cheever, CB Aaron Beasley, WR Reggie Barlow, OT Jimmy Herndon, SS John Fisher, WR Chris Doering, WR Clarence Jones, WR Gregory Spann.
Comment: Hardy and Brackens are two of the best players in franchise history. Brackens is the team’s all-time sacks leader (55.0) and has the top two single-season sack totals (12.0 and 11.0) Hardy is fourth all-time in sacks (28.5) and also ranks fourth in team history in tackles (789).
2004
What NFL.com said: The Eli Manning/Phillip Rivers trade was the highlight of the top of the draft. … Seven of the first eight players selected became Pro Bowlers. … Ben Roethlisberger, Vince Wilfork, Sean Taylor, and Jared Allen also were drafted.
The Jaguars’ contributions: WR Reggie Williams, LB Daryl Smith, FB Greg Jones, LB Jorge Cordova, DT Anthony Maddox, WR Ernest Wilford, K Josh Scobee, CB Chris Thompson, OT Sean Bubin, DE Bobby McCray.
Comment: The Jaguars may have blown the first-round pick but they ended up with the leading tackler (Smith) and scorer (Scobee) in franchise history. McCray is one of only four players to record double-digit sacks in a single season. Jones was one of the league’s better blocking fullbacks.
2011
What NFL.com said: J.J. Watt and Richard Sherman highlight the draft. … Pretty good group of receivers taken, too: A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Torrey Smith, Randall Cobb.
The Jaguars’ contribution: QB Blaine Gabbert, G/C Will Rackley, WR Cecil Shorts, S Chris Prosinski, CB Rod Issac.
Comment: Not a single pick remains on the roster and Gabbert is arguably the biggest draft bust in team history. The Jaguars traded up to land the former Missouri quarterback and he went 5-22 as a starter before being traded for a sixth-round pick. Shorts was a solid player when he was healthy, but he missed 14 games in four seasons. Prosinski was a solid special teams player but struggled on defense.