The 2023 NFL draft is in the books and the Jacksonville Jaguars added their biggest class ever.
With 13 players — 10 of which came on Day 3 — the Jaguars have a ton of rookies competing for spots on a mostly intact roster that won the AFC South in 2022.
While experts largely predicted that the Jaguars would target defensive backs and pass rushers early, the team instead spent its first three picks on offensive players.
Here’s the baker’s dozen of draftees and links to learn more about each of them:
Round 1 | No. 27 overall
Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
After losing Jawaan Taylor in free agency, the Jaguars drafted an offensive tackle who is expected to immediately take over at right tackle.
Round 2 | No. 61 overall
Brenton Strange, TE, Penn State
With little depth at the tight end position and an uncertain situation surrounding franchise tag recipient Evan Engram, the Jaguars drafted a physically gifted tight end who didn’t see the ball that much at Penn State.
Round 3 | No. 88 overall
Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn
Running back was already arguably the best position on the Jaguars’ roster with Travis Etienne Jr. leading the way. With Bigsby added to the mix, it’s clearly the position group with the most depth.
Round 4 | No. 121 overall
Ventrell Miller, LB, Florida
The Jaguars added three linebackers last year (Foye Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, and Chad Muma), but added depth early in Day 3 by adding Miller.
Round 4 | No. 130 overall
Tyler Lacy, DL, Oklahoma State
The Jaguars had a trio of defensive ends in Roy Robertson-Harris, Folorunso Fatukasi, and Adam Gotsis, but very little depth behind them in 2022. Adding Lacy gives Jacksonville another versatile run stuffer up front.
Round 5 | No. 136 overall
Yasir Abdullah, OLB, Louisville
The Jaguars struggled to rush the passer during the 2022 season. While they didn’t address the problem in the first four rounds, Abdullah is an accomplished sack artist even if he’s much smaller than the prototypical NFL rusher.
Round 5 | No. 160 overall
Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M
Johnson is a safety by trade, but he spent most of his time with the Aggies near the line of scrimmage covering players in the slot. That’d be a helpful skill, as the Jaguars struggled to find a consistent nickel cornerback and couldn’t cover tight ends in 2022.
Round 6 | No. 185 overall
Parker Washington, WR, Penn State
The Jaguars have a top trio of wide receivers in Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones, as well as a return specialist in Jamal Agnew. Washington will compete for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Round 6 | No. 202 overall
Christian Braswell, CB, Rutgers
While many expected cornerback to the top priority of the draft for the Jaguars, the team didn’t draft any player at the position until it picked Braswell just outside the top 200 picks.
Round 6 | No. 208 overall
Erick Hallett II, CB, Pittsburgh
Hallett played a little safety and a little cornerback in college, but the likely scenario seems to be that he’ll compete with several other late-round picks (including Braswell) for a depth spot at cornerback.
Round 7 | No. 226 overall
Cooper Hodges, OL, Appalachian State
Hodges, who grew up a half-hour from TIAA Bank Field, has a chance to provide valuable offensive line depth to a team that doesn’t have much.
Round 7 | No. 227 overall
Raymond Vohasek, DT, North Carolina
The Jaguars said that Vohasek will play nose tackle in Jacksonville, which is a position that had non-existent depth behind DaVon Hamilton during the 2022 season.
Round 7 | No. 240 overall
Derek Parish, FB, Houston
Parish is an elite athlete who managed to be a productive pass rusher at Houston, despite being 6’2 with 29-inch arms — one of which was broken for much of the year. With the Jaguars, he’ll try to transition into a do-it-all fullback a la Kyle Juszczyk.
