2024 NFL Draft Grades: Jacksonville Jaguars

Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: B
Day 3 grade: A

Analysis: Trading down for three picks (including two mid-rounders in 2025) and still landing a downfield target like Thomas was a win for the Jaguars. Smith and Jones filled needs with good value in the second and third rounds, respectively. Calvin Ridley restarted his career in Jacksonville, but essentially renting the receiver in exchange for two picks (including a third-rounder this year) did not really pay off for the Jags.

Foster provides depth at offensive tackle and could start in 2025 if Cam Robinson and Walker Little do not return. Defensive tackle Jefferson joined Smith in fortifying the defensive line. Prince is a great athlete at cornerback. Robinson will be a change-of-pace back and explosive returner. The team got backup quarterback Mac Jones for a sixth-round pick this offseason. Starting guard Ezra Cleveland was also acquired for a sixth-rounder last October; he re-signed in March.

Top needs entering the draft: Cornerback, wide receiver, defensive line

I wrote Thursday night that Jacksonville had a nice Round 1. GM Trent Baalke was able to maneuver the board, dropping six spots in a trade with the Vikings. The Jaguars got Nos. 23 and 167 plus third- and fourth-round picks in the 2025 draft, while Minnesota got No. 17. The Jags were able to fill a need at wide receiver with Brian Thomas Jr. (23), who can take the top off defenses and be a speed option alongside Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis. He can replace a chunk of what Calvin Ridley gave them last season.

My quibble? Baalke could have gotten his pick of the cornerback class at No. 17. Cooper DeJean, Terrion Arnold and Quinyon Mitchell were all on the board, and each could have been a rookie starter for a defense that allowed 18 touchdown passes to opposing wideouts last season, the fifth most in the NFL.

Baalke's next four picks -- defensive tackle Maason Smith (48), cornerback Jarrian Jones (96), offensive tackle Javon Foster (114) and defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson (116) -- all went at least a round earlier than I had them in my rankings. Jones is more of a fifth- or sixth-rounder and the Jags reached for him at the end of Day 2. Cam Little (212) is my second-ranked kicker.

Baalke threw a few late picks at his cornerback room, but I'm not sure that's enough for a team with questions there. I do like Thomas, though, and his contract is certainly much cheaper than Ridley's.

THE JAGUARS' DRAFT IS BUILT ON A WHOLE LOT OF UPSIDE. After trading back in the first round, Jacksonville grabbed a scintillating playmaker in LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who brings sizzling speed but is still developing his skills as a route-runner. Thomas's former college teammate, defensive tackle Maason Smith, is another player with a high-ceiling combination of size and speed who may need time to mature. Florida corner Jarrian Jones fits the same profile. If this class hits its potential, we could look back at this group as a turning point for the franchise. But there's a lot of room for variance among the team's top picks too.

Trading down in Round 1, for a pair of mid-round picks next year, and still getting LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr. is solid use of the board. Trading a Day 2 pick for WR Calvin Ridley, getting too cute in a bid to re-sign him, then having to take Thomas to replace him ... not such good use. Third-round CB Jarrian Jones could be a heist, and it's probably a win if one of the LSU DTs, Maason Smith (Round 2) and Jordan Jefferson (Round 4), hits.

Only time will tell, but the Jaguars had a great draft on paper. They were able to trade down in the first round from 17 to 23 to get Brian Thomas Jr., whom general manager Trent Baalke said would've been the pick at 17. He had been valued by many as a mid-first-round pick. Fourth-rounder Javon Foster, a standout offensive tackle in the SEC, could immediately step in as the No. 3 OT with a chance to be a starter in the future. Jacksonville also leaves the draft with tremendous depth and on the defensive line behind standout trio Josh Allen, Travon Walker and Arik Armstead. —Arthur

Best Pick: I love second-round defensive tackle Maason Smith from LSU. His skill set is impressive. A torn ACL in 2022 set him back, but he started to look like himself late last season. He can be dominant.

Worst Pick: The knock is they didn't address edge until the seventh round when they took Myles Cole from Texas Tech. They have depth issues there and that could show up if they have injuries to their starters.

The Skinny: I have been critical of Trent Baalke's drafts in the past, but this was a good one. First-round receiver Brian Thomas Jr. gives them a game-changer on offense that they've lacked, while Smith can be a beast up front. Trading down and adding picks in this draft and next year's draft was a smart move by Baalke.

Analysis: GM Trent Baalke was a bit all over the place with value after jumping on Thomas in the first round. Going for offensive tackle and cornerback twice was OK given needs, but there were plenty of reaches, even in taking yet another running back late. Other than Thomas and Little, there's not much here to help the Jaguars catch the Texans in the division.

Analysis: Thomas is a talented receiver, but the pick was questionable when one considers how badly the Jaguars needed a corner, and none had been picked at that juncture. Down the board, Jacksonville did add defensive help, but is it enough? The Jaguars are betting on mid- to late-round talent to shine through early on that side of the ball.

Well, I guess we can stop bashing Jaguars GM Trent Baalke for letting his receiver corps atrophy with the loss of Calvin Ridley in free agency. Brian Thomas Jr. was LSU's second-best receiver last season, but that's only because Malik Nabers is the best receiver in this class. From there, we get into Baalke's usual preference for toolsy players who are still putting it together. That's Maason Smith and Jarrian Jones, though Jones allowed a preposterous opponent passer rating of 25.3 for the Crimson Tide last season.

A sneaky guy to watch from the third day is Texas Tech's Myles Cole, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound pterodactyl who will need some technical refinement (especially with his hands), but can generate pressure from all over the defensive line.

This was your typical Baalke draft — safe picks at positions of need, and spinning the Wheel of Fortune elsewhere.