Gus’ Tiers: Which Jaguars have the highest trade value?

Welcome to the latest edition of “Gus’ Tiers” at 1010XL/92.5 FM!

Each Wednesday, I’ll be using Tiermaker dot com to create a 100% correct ranking of a timely subject related to the Jacksonville Jaguars/NFL landscape.

For this week’s Tier, I ranked Jaguars players by their trade value.

Blue-chip: Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence

These are franchise players worth multiple first-round picks. 

Allen just broke a single-season franchise record with a career-high 17.5 sacks; since he was drafted 7th overall in 2019, the Kentucky product ranks 10th among all NFL defenders in quarterback hits (103). Lawrence’s production hasn’t matched his own pedigree as a former no. 1 pick, but like Allen, he is a staple of the organization and the community. Lawrence should get some MVP votes next year with better health and protection.  

At the end of the day, even if they may not yet be commonly recognized as bonafide superstars, Allen (26 years old) and Lawrence (24) are two of the league’s best young players at critical positions. 

Pro Bowl caliber: Tyson Campbell, Evan Engram, Travis Etienne, Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley, Travon Walker

These are objectively good players in or entering the prime of their careers worth at least a top-50 pick. 

The Jaguars drafted Etienne (25) 24 picks after Lawrence in 2021 before adding veteran pass-catchers Engram (29), Kirk (27), and Ridley (29). Engram, another former first-rounder, made the Pro Bowl this year after recording 114 receptions — second-most by a tight end in league history. Etienne was on the right pace halfway through the season. Before Jacksonville’s Week 10 bye, he ranked top three in rushing yards, rushing first downs, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and fantasy points at his position. A rib injury slowed him down later in the year, but the best of Etienne is still to come. 

The stats don’t quite match the contract in Kirk’s case. Since joining Jacksonville in 2022, he’s collected the sixth-most cash among wide receivers but ranks 23rd in receiving yards per game (65.3). His chemistry with Lawrence and leadership in the building make up for it, though. Ridley’s price tag (a third-round pick plus a new contract, assuming he re-signs in March) is also questionable, given he missed almost two years of NFL action and had several backbreaking drops last season. But similar to Kirk, even if neither are clearcut no. 1 wideouts who can attract and defeat double teams, they are two of the best route runners in the league. 

Campbell (23) and Walker (23) are a bit more projection-based but I’ve seen enough to be convinced. Campbell had a Pro Bowl-caliber campaign in 2022 when he shut down the likes of Mike Williams and Courtland Sutton on weekly shadow assignments; Walker doubled his TFL and QB hit numbers year-over-year as he grew from a 3.5-sack rookie to a 10-sack sophomore. I expect both products of Georgia’s championship defense to earn a Pro Bowl nod by 2025. 

Young & unproven: Andre Cisco, Anton Harrison, Antonio Johnson, Walker Little, Devin Lloyd

These are rookie-contract players with exciting ceilings but limited production. 

Cisco (23) has the most experience in this group with 47 games played and 33 starts in his three-year career, however, the rangy safety was seldom used as a rookie and dealt with injuries last year. Little (24) has also struggled to stay on the field due to competition and health; the former 45th overall pick has started just 17 games in three seasons. Cisco and Little have performed at high levels, just not consistently. 

Harrison (22) and Johnson (22) were the only notable members of Jacksonville’s 13-man 2023 draft class. The former looks like a longtime starter at offensive tackle, and the latter a shoo-in replacement for Rayshawn Jenkins, but I want to see a second season of professional play before moving them up a tier. 

Lloyd (25) is a bit of a tweener in this section, drafted after Cisco/Little in 2021 and before Harrison/Johnson in 2023. He improved significantly as a second-year linebacker but still has a long way to go before sniffing a Pro Bowl. 

Age/injury/contract concern: DaVon Hamilton, Foye Oluokun, Cam Robinson, Brandon Scherff, Darious Williams

These are good players albeit depreciating assets.

Hamilton (27) would’ve landed in the “unproven” category at this time last year, but he suffered a significant back infection last offseason and hasn’t yet returned to full strength. The final four are all above-average NFL starters, though they all have one year remaining on expensive contracts. Oluokun (28), Robinson (28), Scherff (32), and Williams (31 next month) are more likely to be cut for salary cap relief than traded to another team.

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