“I thought our rookie class was great. The rookie class of last year was good. This year, these individuals really stepped up and were asked to do a lot, according to Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson’s Monday statement.
In the end, right tackle Anton Harrison was selected by the Jaguars in the first round as their only full-time rookie starter. Then, on Day 2, the Jaguars added depth when they selected running back Tank Bigsby in the third round and tight end Brenton Strange in the second round.
Fourth-round pick Ventrell Miller, defensive lineman Tyler Lacy, and defensive back Antonio Johnson were selected by the Jaguars on Day 3; fifth-round pick Yasir Abdullah, linebacker, and defensive back Parker Washington were selected, along with defensive backs Christian Braswell and Erick Hallett; seventh-round selections Cooper Hodges, defensive lineman Raymond Vohasek, and fullback/tight end/linebacker Derek Parish.
Strange caught five passes for 35 yards (ranked No. 14 among rookie tight ends) and was one of the Jaguars’ somewhat ineffective Day 2 picks. In the meanwhile, Bigsby completed 132 years (ranked No. 13 among rookie running backs) with 50 carries (ranked No. 10 among rookie running backs), 2.6 yards per carry (ranked No. 17 among rookie running backs), and two touchdowns on the ground (ranked No. 4 among rookie running backs).
“You saw yesterday with the kickoff returns and some of the runs, and I thought Tank [Bigsby] really improved as the season went on. He’s a bright spot.” That excites me,” Pederson remarked. In a similar vein, I believe there is more we can do to include Brett Strange offensively. We’ll take a closer look at that in spring.
It makes sense that Harrison and Johnson were the rookies who received the most recognition. Johnson concluded the season with a forced fumble and two interceptions despite playing in less snaps than Harrison, who started all 17 games and allowed the lowest pressure rate of any rookie offensive tackles with at least 100 snaps.
What a season Anton [Harrison] has had. He had an edge rusher almost every week, as we’ve discussed; he played hurt and banged up. He fared pretty well. I’m sure the individuals that are talking about him are aware of how talented he will be. We’re thrilled about that one, Pederson stated.
“We were pleased with Antonio Johnson after training camp, despite his hamstring setback. Although he’s on the right road, it would have been intriguing to watch how his growth would have progressed over the course of a complete season. There have been many helpful people in our class, and I hope they will continue to support us in the future.
