JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ Instantly grading the Jaguars' draft picks is blatantly unfair, seeing as how the body of work each player compiles after two or three years can be much different than perception at the time of their selection.
Well, too bad. I'm going to do it anyway because it's a fun exercise and this 2020 draft might be the most pivotal in team history. With a record 12 picks for the NFL's youngest team, general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone have hit the reset button, hoping the bounty over the past three days sets the Jaguars up for the franchise's revitalization.
So how did the Caldwell/Marrone tag team do? On paper, it looks like an extraordinary haul. There were no real head-scratching choices in the top half of the Jaguars' draft.
They addressed major needs, of which there are many, but also didn't appear to reach terribly on picks. More importantly, Caldwell stayed patient and didn't get antsy about trading up when players he may have coveted went off the board.
All grades are a reflection of several factors: value for where the prospect was taken, the level of need relative to other positions, and ability to be an immediate contributor.
