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2023 NFL Draft grades: Jacksonville Jaguars didn't fill all their needs despite large haul of picks

Charles McDonald
NFL writer
·2 min read
The Jaguars traded down in the first round and still managed to nab Anton Harrison, one of the best offensive tackles in the draft. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

Overall Jacksonville Jaguars grade: C-

Eh. The Jaguars draft started off well by trading down and still grabbing Oklahoma tackle Anton Harrison, but they burned their Day 2 picks. Strange was a major reach at pick No. 61 and Tank Bigsby was an odd use of draft resources considering the other needs they have. The Jaguars made a whopping 10 picks on the third day of the draft, including six in the sixth and seventh rounds. Perhaps they could have used some of those picks to trade up a bit for more players who can help them hold onto the AFC South. They did well with Harrison and Johnson, but they left a lot of meat on the bone compared to the picks they had.

Favorite pick: Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M (160th overall)

Johnson could have gone off the board far earlier than he did. It’s tough to find safeties who can play man coverage in the slot, and even tougher to find a guy like that in the fifth round. Johnson fell right into the Jaguars' laps and he has the potential to be a big-time contributor for Jacksonville in the slot. That’s a difficult thing to find at that point in the draft and the Jaguars should be pleased with that pick.

Least favorite pick: Brenton Strange, TE, Penn State (61st overall)

Strange coming off the board in this range was a surprise. Strange didn’t have much production during his time at Penn State and needs a lot of time before he should be counted on as a consistent performer for the Jaguars — which is something they should be pushing for, considering they have by far the best quarterback in their division right now. It was a bizarre use of draft capital, especially with Darnell Washington and Tucker Kraft still on the board. There had to be a better way to use this pick.

Full Jaguars draft

Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison (R1, 27th overall)

Penn State TE Brenton Strange (R2, 61st)

Auburn RB Tank Bigsby (R3, 88th)

Florida LB Ventrell Miller (R4, 121st)

Oklahoma State DE Tyler Lacy (R4, 130th)

Louisville LB Yasir Abdullah (R5, 136th)

Texas A&M S Antonio Johnson (R5, 160th)

Penn State WR Parker Washington (R6, 185th)

Rutgers CB Christian Braswell (R6, 202nd)

Pittsburgh S Erick Hallett (R6, 208th)

Appalachian State OG Cooper Hodges (R7, 226th)

North Carolina DT Raymond Vohasek (R7, 227th)

Houston FB Derek Parish (R7, 240th)