Coughlin won two Super Bowls as coach of the New York Giants, but he achieved arguably an equally impressive accomplishment in getting the Jaguars into the AFC Championship Game during their second year of existence, then leading them to a 14-2 record and the AFC Championship Game again three years later.
Coughlin did that because of his work as de facto general manager, as much as his coaching, and that’s certainly an area in which the Jaguars can use some help -- especially when it comes to first-round draft picks.
Caldwell has done a good job hitting on players in Rounds 2 through 5, but he has nailed only one of his four first-round picks:
Offensive tackle Luke Joeckel (2013) never developed into a dominating player and was moved to guard this season, before suffering a serious knee injury that landed him on the injured reserve list. Quarterback Blake Bortles (2014) had a breakout year in 2015, but he regressed this past season; there now are questions about whether he should be the long-term starter. Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. (2015) missed his rookie season with a torn ACL and had maturity and consistency issues this past season to go along with 4.0 sacks.
Caldwell did hit a home run with cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is a candidate for defensive rookie of the year. The Jaguars routinely put him on the opponent’s best receiver, and he did not allow a touchdown pass all season in one-on-one coverage.
In his first tour with the Jaguars, Coughlin nailed his first-round draft picks. His very first one -- offensive tackle Tony Boselli at No. 2 overall in 1995 -- is the best player in franchise history and has a good chance of becoming the first Jaguars player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 1996, Coughlin drafted linebacker Kevin Hardy, followed by defensive tackle Renaldo Wynn (1997), running back Fred Taylor and safety Donovin Darius in 1998, then defensive back Fernando Bryant in 1999. After missing on receiver R. Jay Soward in 2000, Coughlin drafted defensive tackles Marcus Stroud (2001) and John Henderson (2002), two of the best defensive players in team history.
Six of his top picks were studs -- including the team’s all-time leading rusher (Taylor) -- and two others turned out to be good players. Not a bad batting average.