Jaguars make biggest jump in ESPN’s power rankings

No team made a bigger jump in ESPN’s post-NFL draft power rankings than the Jacksonville Jaguars.

No team made a bigger jump in ESPN’s post-NFL draft power rankings than the Jacksonville Jaguars.

There were a few teams that jumped up two spots from their pre-NFL draft ranking spot, but the Jaguars were the only team to improve by three spots.

Now, the Jaguars still rank near the bottom in ESPN’s power rankings, coming in at No. 25–up from No. 28–which I think is to be expected. While there is a lot of excitement and buzz around this team, and the Jaguars do appear to be on the right track under James Gladstone and Liam Coen, we won’t truly know how much progress was made until the football season begins.

With that said, ESPN was obviously a fan of Jacksonville’s draft.

The Jaguars, of course, made an aggressive trade to land the top prospect in this year’s class in Travis Hunter, who can provide them a boost at two positions, but Gladstone’s overall approach was to build around Trevor Lawrence.

The combination of Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. forms a dynamic one-two punch that will force defenses to spread out and not hone in on only one player.

Gladstone also bolstered the running back position by selecting Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen. Looking back at the 2024 Tampa Bay offense under Coen, both on the ground and through the air, the running back position was vital to that unit’s success.

Lastly, the Jaguars added two more offensive linemen in the draft, even after making four outside additions in free agency. Success for any offense starts up front with providing a run game to lean on and time in the pocket.

The added competition, speed, and playmaking abilities to the overall offense, not to mention Coen’s offensive scheme, should all help take some of the playmaking burden off Lawrence’s shoulders, so he doesn’t feel like he has to be Superman on every play.

The ceiling for this Jaguars team will be determined by Lawrence’s level of play, so Gladstone made sure there was proper balance around him to ensure Lawrence is in a position to find sustained success.