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Jacksonville Jaguars’ Mount Rushmore

See who are the four best players in Jaguars history.

Mark Gunnels

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the newer franchises in the NFL, starting play in 1995. They’ve only been around for 21 years, but that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some great players to don the teal and black over the years.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best four players to ever play their home games in Duval.

Tony Boselli –  When the Jaguars joined the NFL back in 1995, left tackle Tony Boselli was the franchise’s first ever draft selection, which proved to be their best selection to date.

Standing at 6-foot-7, 322 pounds, Boselli was a force to be reckoned with.

Boselli played a major role in protecting quarterback Mark Brunell, which enabled Jacksonville’s aerial attack to take flight, while opening up things in the ground game.

During his seven year career in Jacksonville, Boselli appeared in five consecutive Pro Bowls, while being named an All-Pro three times.

If not for shoulder problems that forced Boselli to retire early, there’s very little doubt that he would’ve been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (and still has an outside chance of it).

The fact Boselli was named on the 1990s All-Decade team speaks volumes.

Fred Taylor – In the 1998 NFL Draft, running back Fred Taylor was selected with the fifth-overall pick.

Up to this point, the Jaguars offense was primarily known as a passing team, but Taylor would soon provide much needed balance.

As a rookie, Taylor rushed for 1,223 yards on 264 carries, which is an average of 4.6 yards per carry.

Throughout his 11-year run in Northeast Florida, Taylor rushed for over 1,000 yards in seven different seasons. During the 2007 campaign, Taylor averaged a career best 5.4 yards per carry.

For his efforts in ’07, he was rewarded by being named to his first and only Pro Bowl.

However, similar to Boselli, Taylor’s career was hindered with injuries.

With that being said, sorry MJD, Freddy T is still the best running back in Jaguars history.

Mark Brunell – We go from the best running back in franchise history to the best quarterback in franchise history.

Brunell started his career as a member of the Green Bay Packers, as he was selected in the fifth round.

After spending two seasons in ‘Title Town’, Brunell was traded to Jacksonville.

With very few expectations, Brunell ended up being a three-time Pro Bowler, while being named MVP of the 1997 Pro Bowl.

Also, Jacksonville became the first expansion team to reach the playoffs three times in its first four seasons of existence. In both the 1996 and 1999 seasons, Brunell led the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game, but they would fall short both times to the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans respectively.

Brunell is the franchise all-time leader in completions (2,184), passing yards (25,698) and passing touchdowns (144).

Jimmy Smith – When it comes to being one of the most under appreciated wide receivers in NFL history, Jimmy Smith is somewhere on the list.

After being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft, things didn’t work out for Smith in “Jerry’s World,” as he was unable to stay healthy.

The 6-foot-1 receiver went on to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he was quickly released, which ended up being the best thing to ever happen to him.

He proceeded by trying out for the Jaguars, in which he ended making the team of course and the rest is history.

Smith leads the franchise in every major statistical category concerning pass catchers.

Also, Smith earned Pro Bowl honors five times, while leading the league in receptions during the 1999 season.

Mark Gunnels is an NFL columnist for Football Insiders. He has several years of experience covering the NFL and NCAA football. He's the radio color commentator for Lincoln University football. Mark's work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports and Yard Barker.

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