Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 worst NFL draft picks of all-time
By John Buhler
Where Jacksonville has struggled the most in the war room is making the right selections at crucial skill positions, most notably at quarterback and at wide receiver. Naturally, the five worst picks made by the Jaguars in their history as an NFL franchise have all been at those two important offensive positions.
While Jacksonville came out of the gate as an AFC beast in the early days of the franchise’s existence, the team’s first awful first round draft selection was taking USC Trojans wide receiver R. Jay Soward with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Soward may have put together a phenomenal freshman season at USC, but for several reasons didn’t pan out as an NFL wideout. He played in one NFL season with the Jaguars before substance abuse completely derailed his NFL career. Soward played in only 13 games, catching 14 passes for 108 yards before being out of the league in 2001.
Soward has said that the pressure of being a first-round pick ultimately got the best of him and that he considered himself an alcoholic during his fleeting NFL career. The rehabilitation process put on Soward by the NFL had an adverse effect on his career and he was never able to play in the league again.
What tends to happen with teams that go from great to bad is that they fail to extract value with their end of round picks. Jacksonville was an AFC Championship contender during the Coughlin era, hence the No. 29 overall pick in the 2000 NFL Drat that the Jaguars ultimately used on the troubled Soward. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the last time a promising young wide receiver on the Jaguars would have major struggles with substance abuse.
Next: 4. QB Byron Leftwich, 2003, No. 7 overall