With the demotion of Derrick Harvey being made virtually official today, it got me thinking about the 2008 NFL Draft. Gregg Rosenthal of ProFootballTalk.com and Rotoworld.com sparked the thought with this tweet:
The Jaguars gave up the No. 26 overall pick, 2 third-rounders, and a fourth to get Derrick Harvey. Who doesn't start. Harvey is the only player left from Jags' 2008 class. Coach-killing trade.
Not only did the Jaguars give that up for Derrick Harvey, but they also swapped 2nd round picks with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, gave up their 5th round pick, and gave up a 2009 7th round pick for linebacker Quentin Groves. Groves was shipped to the Oakland Raiders this off-season for a 4th round pick.
Oof.
It's pretty easy to argue that the 2008 draft for the Jacksonville Jaguars is one of the worst drafts in NFL history, and by far the worst draft in team history.
Let's look at it real quick.
| Jaguars 2008 Draft Class | Round | Where are they now? |
| Derrick Harvey, DE | 1st (8) | Benched, Backing up Jeremy Mincey |
| Quentin Groves, DE/LB | 2nd (52) | Traded, Starting for Oakland Raiders |
| Thomas Williams, LB | 5th (155) | Cut, Back-up on Buffalo Bills |
| Trae Williams, CB | 5th (159) | Cut, Back-up on Tampa Bay Bucs |
| Chauncey Washington, RB | 7th (213) | Cut, Back-up on St. Louis Rams |
As you can see, the Jaguars have a single player remaining from that draft, and that lone player just got sent to the bench.
The real kicker? Baltimore used the package of draft picks it got from the Jaguars to trade back up and get their franchise quarterback, Joe Flacco and linebacker Tavares Gooden. Houston used one of the picks received from Baltimore via Jacksonville to draft Duane Brown in the first round and Steve Slaton in the third round.
If someone can find a worse draft than the Jaguars 2008 draft in the history of the modern draft, please send it to me. Profootballtalk.com called the Jaguars 2008 draft a "Coach Killer," which is true, but it also came on the heels of giving David Garrard his contract extension. This team thought it was a few pieces away after getting knocked out of the playoffs by the undefeated New England Patriots and took a swing at the fences.
Not only did the Jaguars have one of the worst drafts in NFL history, but you have to remember the free agents they signed as well. The Jaguars gave big money to cornerback Drayton Florence and wide receiver Jerry Porter, both of which were cut the very next season after little to no contribution to the football team. Porter signed a 6-year, $30 million contract with $10 million in guaranteed money, while Florence signed a 6-year $36 million deal with roughly $12 million in guaranteed money.
They struck out, big time.
(thanks kterr, for reminding me about the free agents)