The Jacksonville Jaguars 2016 season is, finally, over and done.
The team finished with a 3-13 record, which was extremely underwhelming considering the high expectations entering the year.
However, if there were any bright spots to pull out from the season, several come from the Jaguars’ 2016 draft class. Players such as Jalen Ramsey and Yannick Ngakoue have been stars for the team in their rookie season.
So, that being said, lets get to grading the Jaguars’ 2016 draft class!
Jalen Ramsey
Do I even need to go into detail?
Ramsey has been spectacular, and is already considered a lock-down cornerback in the NFL. In 16 games, Ramsey has recorded 65 tackles, 14 defended passes, two interceptions including a pick-six, and a forced fumble. He is likely to be highly considered for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Ramsey is playing like an All-Pro at his position, an considering this was only his rookie year, I’m looking forward to see how much better he can be in the future.
Grade: A+
Myles Jack
People might think this grade for Myles Jack is low, but this is truly how I viewed his play this year.
Jack did not see the field nearly as much as he should have all year. It took four weeks too long at the start of the year for Jack to finally be put in the starting lineup, and when he finally got the nod to start, he rarely saw more than 25 snaps a game.
It’s unfair for me to factor that into his grade, so I won’t. But, I still think Jack needs to spend a lot of time working this offseason to take the next step.
Jack took some time to get the hang of playing against NFL talent, and showed that during the year. He had problems making his run fits a lot of the time, which can hugely effect a run play — not making a correct run fit can change a play from being stopped at the line of scrimmage into a solid chunk of positive yardage.
Jack played well in flats coverage as a strong-side linebacker and always found a way to be near the ball. He deserves some props for that, as he seemed much more sound in coverage than in run defense.
However, ending the year with a poor stat line — 24 tackles and a defended pass — attributes to Jack’s average grade. I look forward to and hope Jack gets moved to his natural position of middle linebacker in the next head coach’s scheme.
Grade: C+
Yannick Ngakoue
He most likely won’t be considered for Defensive Rookie of the Year, as the likes on Jalen Ramsey, Joey Bosa, and Deion Jones will cast a shadow over the first year pass rusher, but Yannick Ngakoue had a phenomenal year.
Ngakoue broke the Jaguars’ team record for sacks by a rookie against the Colts in the last game of the year, and finished his season with eight sacks, as well as four forced fumbles, an interception, and 22 total tackles.
Playing the 4-3 end spot, if the Jaguars keep their 4-3 scheme in the future, look for Ngakoue to be considered a top DE in the NFL. He’s been that good.
Grade: A
Sheldon Day
I actually gave Day a pretty high grade, even though his stat line wasn’t good — eight tackles and a sack.
Regardless of his stats, keep in mind that he was considered a 4th round steal, and was used mainly as a rotational guy along the defensive line. His main position is 3-tech, which is held by Malik Jackson — who had a phenomenal year -- so he didn’t get to see the field as much as he could have behind an average 3-tech.
But, when Day did see the field, he was causing disruption in the passing game. He consistently found the backfield and put pressure on the opposing QB when he was playing.
So, considering the impact he made in his little amount of time on the field, Day gets a nice grade from me.
Grade: B-
Tyrone Holmes
Holmes was released by the Jaguars in the preseason, a move that was heavily criticized early in the year when he seemed productive in Cleveland after being claimed the day after the Jaguars waived him. However, he finished his season with only one sack for the Browns.
No grade
Brandon Allen
Allen didn’t play a snap all year, but was kept on the roster to eventually take Chad Henne’s place as long term backup QB.
Grade: Incomplete
Jonathan Woodard
Woodard injured himself in OTA’s back in May and was ruled out for the year with a torn Achilles. However, his potential as a 5-tech opted Dave Caldwell to put him on the injured reserve instead of release him with an injury settlement.
Grade: Incomplete
All in all, I give this draft class a A- based on what we saw from the picks who saw the field as Jaguars this year. In my opinion, this was Dave Caldwell’s best draft class as the Jaguars general manager.
How would you grade the Jaguars’ 2016 draft class?