During the month of June, the Last Word On Sports NFL department has began constructing a Mount Rushmore for each team. For this series, we will only consider players. Today, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the focus. The Jaguars have only been around for 20 NFL seasons. The closest they have ever come to winning a title was losing in the AFC Championship twice (1996, 1999). While they are short in history, they have had their share of great players.
Jacksonville Jaguars Mount Rushmore
Maurice Jones-Drew
Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the greatest players in franchise history, but he was never a sure thing. NFL teams passed on him during the draft because of his size. At 5’7″, he was really only drafted to be a return specialist for the Jags. He went on to earn his keep in training camp, and he took a bunch of carries from Fred Taylor his rookie year on his way to 941 yards and 13 touchdowns. That’s not too bad for a backup. MJD finished his career second in yards behind that Fred Taylor guy with 8,071 but first in touchdowns with 68. Maurice Jones-Drew is an obvious choice to have his face carved into some mountain (or hill) in Jacksonville.
Fred Taylor
You guessed it. Fred Taylor made the list too. Taylor was drafted ninth overall in the 1998 draft. He was just what the Jags needed to go along with their already potent passing game led by quarterback Mark Brunell. As mentioned before, Fred Taylor is the all-time leading rusher for the Jaguars, and he did it with consistency. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in 11 different seasons. His best season came in 2003 when he rushed for, at that time, a franchise record of 1,572 yards. He finished his career 15th on the all-time rushing list with 11,695 yards. This number could have been a lot higher though, as Taylor missed many games while battling injuries throughout his career.
Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith had a great career, but it almost never happened. Smith was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1991. He battled injuries during his first two seasons until he was eventually cut in 1993. After sitting out of football an entire year, he finally got a call from the Jags. During his first season in Jacksonville, he had only 288 yards. These first few years would soon be forgotten, as Smith was a monster for the rest of his career. Following that first season, Smith posted seven straight years with more than 1,000 receiving yards. He had nine total, and would have probably had ten had he not been suspended in 2003. Smith’s greatest season came when he recorded 116 receptions for an outstanding 1,636 yards in 1999. There is no doubt Jimmy Smith is the best receiver in team history. He finished his fine career with 862 receptions for 12,287 yards and 69 touchdowns.
Tony Boselli
No player is more deserving of the Rushmore honor than Tony Boselli. He is the prototype of what it means to be a Jacksonville Jaguar. Boselli was the first player ever drafted by the Jags in 1995, and he is considered by many to be the best pick ever. Boselli was a mammoth of a man at tackle. Few people in the league could get past Boselli and reach Mark Brunell. He was on his way to be a surefire Hall of Famer, as he had been selected for five Pro Bowls, but his career was cut short by a shoulder injury and he retired in 2002. Even though his career was short, Boselli was still named to the 90s all-decade team, which proves just how dominant voters believed he was. There is no doubt that Boselli is the greatest player to ever play for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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