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Jacksonville Jaguars got more production from middle, bottom of 2025 draft
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- Jacksonville Jaguars got more production from middle, bottom of 2025 draft
The Jacksonville Jaguars were an aberration among the 14 teams that reached the NFL playoffs this season.
They had a 13-4 record to win the AFC South , were the third seed in the AFC and tied for fourth in the NFL for the most victories.
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But the Jags did it with minimal contributions, compared to the rest of the playoff teams, from the first and second rounds of the 2025 NFL draft .
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) is tackled by Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'davious White (27) during the first quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Travis Hunter , the second overall pick, played seven games for the Jaguars before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in practice. At the time of the injury, he was leading the Jaguars in receptions and was just off his best offensive game with eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in London.
Hunter was playing reasonably well at cornerback at the time he was hurt.
The Jaguars did not have a second-round pick so Hunter's contributions were it from the first two days of the draft.
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The team with the second-fewest games played from selections in those two rounds was the Los Angeles Rams . They did not have a first-round pick and tight end Terrance Ferguson , the second-round pick, played in 14 games and is currently battling a hamstring injury.
The peak contribution from the first two rounds was in favor of Seattle , with tackle Grey Zabel , safety Nick Emmanwori , and tight end Elijah Arroyo combining for 44 games. Buffalo, the team that beat the Jaguars last week in the wild-card round, got 33 games from cornerback Maxwell Hairston and defensive tackle T.J. Sanders .
The other 13 playoff teams, aside from the Jaguars, got an average of 28 games from players they drafted in the first and second rounds.
While Hunter was lost to the Jaguars after Week 7 (and they went on to go 9-1 without him), and two other draft picks, safety Caleb Ransaw and defensive end Jalen McLeod , never played a down because of training camp injuries, rookies still made a significant impact for the Jaguars on offense, defense and special teams.
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But as General Manager James Gladstone pointed out, the Jaguars had 10 rookies who got playing time this season.
"It's certainly a clear sign when you wrap up a season and have double-digit rookies take either an offense or defensive snap throughout the course of a season, that you can feel good ... heading into year two," Gladstone said on Jan. 14 during a season-ending news conference at the Miller Electric Center. "Injuries are something that take place over the course of a natural season, right? And for it to happen to a few of our rookies over the course of this first year is on a level, disappointing. We'd love to see more."
Here are the Times-Union's grades for the Jaguars rookie class of 2025:
Round 1, Travis Hunter , WR/CB, Colorado
Hunter had 28 receptions for 298 yards (10.6 per catch) and one touchdown pass. He played 324 offensive snaps.
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On defense, where Hunter had 162 snaps, he had 15 tackles (11 solo) and three passes defensed.
Hunter had a 72.7 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, allowing nine completions on 15 targets for 96 yards. The passer rating when he was targeted was 78.8.
Hunter also had three special teams snaps.
Gladstone said the plan, had Hunter not been injured, was to continue using him both ways.
"With Travis having gotten to a place mid-season where he felt like he was starting to peak and make a real dent, the plan for post-bye [week] was to continue to enhance that. It was tough not to be able to see that come to life down the back stretch."
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Grade:B (for the time period he played).
Round 3, Caleb Ransaw , S, Tulane
Ransaw suffered a non-contact foot injury in training camp on Aug. 27 and was out for the season.
Grade:Incomplete.
Round 3, Wyatt Milum , OG, West Virginia
After showing some nice things in camp, Milum suffered a knee injury and wasn't activated until the Seattle game. He was then inactive the next two games but played in the final nine.
Milum played tackle in college but could wind up getting the first shot at either guard spot next season should the team move on from Ezra Cleveland on the left (entering his seventh NFL season) or the oft-injured Patrick Mekari on the right (entering his eighth season).
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Grade:C.
Round 4, Bhayshul Tuten , RB, Virginia Tech
It didn't take long for Tuten to move ahead of Tank Bigsby as the No. 2 back behind Travis Etienne in camp, and the Jaguars eventually traded Bigsby to Philadelphia .
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) dives forward during the fourth quarter in an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 41-7 [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
Tuten ran for 307 yards and five touchdowns and a 3.7 per carry average and caught 10 passes for 79 yards and two more scores. He also averaged 28.3 yards on 19 kickoff returns, with a long return of 54 yards. Tuten was a willing blocker and had a great knack of churning forward for extra yards after being hit.
Grade:B.
Round 4, Jack Kiser , LB, Notre Dame
Kiser was an immediate starter on special teams, with four tackles. He had four tackles and six assists on defense. He had eight of his 10 tackles in his final three games, against the Titans, Colts and Jets but suffered a hamstring injury in the latter game and missed the final three games.
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Grade:C
Round 6, Jalen McLeod , DE, Auburn
McLeod suffered an ankle injury during training camp in early August and was placed on the injured reserve list. He was designated for return but never played.
Grade:Incomplete.
Round 6, Rayuan Lane III , S, Navy
Lane was drafted to replace Daniel Thomas as both a backup safety and a gunner on special teams, and he excelled at the latter. Lane was usually the first player downfield on punt coverage and blew up several returners. He led the Jags with 15 special teams tackles (eight solos) and recovered one fumble.
Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayuan Lane III (25) reacts to his open field tackle on a kickoff return by Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15) during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Seahawks defeated the Jaguars 20-12.
In limited action on defense, Lane had five tackles and knocked down one pass.
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Grade:B
Round 7, Jonah Monheim , C, USC
Monheim was the reason the Jaguars were able to move on from Luke Fortner and he played well when thrown into the fire against Kansas City when Robert Hainsey was hurt. Monheim eventually started two games and played in all 17. A tackle in college, he got time at guard in camp and could be another Jaguars offensive lineman who plays multiple positions.
Grade:B.
Round 7, LeQuint Allen , RB, Syracuse
Allen epitomized what general manager James Gladstone means when he describes a player as "intangibly rich." Allen returned kickoffs (25.7 per return, with a long of 52), played on coverage teams and was good in pass protection, picking up blitzes and chipping on edge rushers. He averaged 4.1 yards per rushing attempt and 5.4 yards per pass reception.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Lequint Allen Jr. (36) celebrates a first down pickup during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Colts 36-19.
Allen also brought an edge, a competitive and feisty player who had no fear. He was team-first, willing to do anything to get on the field. Once he was there, opposing players knew it.
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Should a seventh-round pick get the highest grade among all rookies on one team? This one should, with about half the grade for effort.
Grade:A.
Undrafted free agents
Three rookie UDFAs played for the Jaguars this season and their grades are on a curve, judging them from what they did in limited playing time and for what the coaching staff asked of them.
In the case of the two defensive ends, time may prove that the Jags' scouting department scored a pair of hits.
"To get contributions from undrafted college free agents like we did in two defensive ends, was certainly cause for optimism," Gladstone said. "It's not easy to find people at that position, in particular in college free agency, so to walk away with two ... got to give a lot of credit to our coaching staff and our scouting staff. That's a collaborative effort [for] our coaches and sports staff to be able to get those guys in place, to be able to play and those two individually, to be able to prepare in the right ways."
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Branson Combs , LB, Wake Forest
Combs was third on the team with 10 tackles in preseason games. He played for the first time in London against the Los Angeles Rams and was an active special-teams player. Combs had one tackle on defense but two solo stops and six assists on special teams with a forced fumble.
Grade:C
B.J. Green II , DE, Colorado
Green caught coaches' attention in training camp, then had a sack and three quarterback hits in the preseason games. He got his first game action against San Francisco and played in 14 games, with three tackles, six assists and two sacks. He had six special teams tackles and recovered one fumble.
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Grade:B
Danny Striggow , DE, Minnesota
Striggow and Green's progress mirrored each other, flashing in camp, then in preseason games to earn a spot on the team. Striggow had two sacks in the preseason, then bided his time until he played for the first time against Seattle. He played in 10 games, with 14 tackles, a half-sack and a fumble recovery on special teams.
Grade:B.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars RBs Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen highlight rookie grades
