It’s been a rough decade for the Jacksonville Jaguars. They started the decade in mediocrity but somehow they ended the rounded out the decade even worse than that. Way worse actually.
It’s no wonder they had only one winning season since 2008, just look at their draft history at the beginning of the decade.
No team could have a worse stretch of first-round draft picks than the Jacksonville Jaguars had from 2011 to 2014.
Reflecting back on their picks, it would make any NFL fan cringe.
Related: [Indianapolis Colts’ Biggest Draft Disappointments Since 2010]
Blaine Gabbert (QB, 2011)
Heading into the draft scouts believed Gabbert was one of the best passers in the draft, right next to Cam Newton. Trading two draft picks to move up to pick him and cutting starting quarterback David Garrard put Gabbert at the forefront quickly.
Unfortunately, he didn’t turn out to be the franchise quarterback Jacksonville thought they were getting.
Going only 5-22 as a starter, he threw 22 TDs to 24 INTs in 28 career games.
He consistently battled injuries during his time which made him miss time and eventually his job. In 2013, knowing that they missed on Gabbert, Jacksonville sent him to San Francisco for a 5th and 6th round pick.
This was the first of many misses.
Justin Blackmon (WR, 2012)
Blackmon was the best wide receiver in college football in 2011. After gambling on himself and going back to Oklahoma St for another year, it worked and he propelled himself even more and was considered a top-10 draft pick, Getting comparisons to stars like T.O, Blackmon was expected to start immediately and had the skills to be a consistent All-Pro in the league
Everything the scouts said about his talent was true, it was the off-field issues that were the problem.
After recently getting drafted, he was arrested in Oklahoma for a second DUI and a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit.
Despite the legal troubles, Blackmon played in every game his rookie year highlighted by a massive game in week 10 against the Texans, gaining 236 yards and a TD to add to a great performance. Coming off a performance like that it looked like the Jags had a star on their hands.
However, he never had a performance like that again.
And ultimately, after dealing with multiple issues off the field it eventually cost him his career. On November 1, 2013, the NFL suspended him for the entire season for violating its substance-abuse policy for the second time. After being denied reinstatement, he was arrested again for a DUI and has never seen the field since.
Blackmon finished his underwhelming NFL career with 1,280 receiving yards and 6 touchdown receptions in just 20 games.
Luke Joeckel (T, 2013)
Regarded as the best prospect in the draft class, the Jaguars selected the Texas A&M tackle at #2 in the first round hoping he would be a staple on the line for years to come.
Unfortunately, Joeckel wasn’t able to find his footing in the NFL. In his first career start, Joeckel suffered a season-ending high ankle fracture and would continue to deal with the injury bug for his short career.
After struggling for another 2 years, in 2016 he suffered another season-ending injury, this time in his knee.
In 2017, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent before retiring the next year.
Not something you hoped out of a #2 overall pick.
Blake Bortles (QB, 2014)
It all comes full circle with another failed quarterback project.
Bortles was supposed to be the face of the Jaguars. Taken No. 3, expectations were that Bortles would finally be the franchise quarterback the Jaguars have been trying to find.
Like Gabbert, Bortles was thrust into the starting role with little talent around him.
In his first 3 seasons with Jacksonville, Bortles was only able to lead his teams to an 11-34 record. Throwing only 69 TDs compared to 51 INTs, along with 29 fumbles. It looked like Jacksonville was ready to move on from Bortles soon.
But in 2017, Jacksonville rode their defense all the way to the AFC Championship game, falling short to the Patriots. His play in the playoffs earned him another year.
But after a 3-9 start and poor play from Bortles, his time in Jacksonville was over.
Future Success
We know they can draft. They have proven it by drafting guys like Jalen Ramsey and Josh Allen as of recent.
So let’s see if their 2021 and 2022 first-round draft picks Trevor Lawrence and Travon Walker can turn the franchise around and compete for championships in the following years.
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