JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars posed a question on social media last week about who would be on a Jacksonville Mount Rushmore.
The franchise is entering its 30th year and the best players in that span came during the first 15 years of existence. As for the anti-Mount Rushmore, well, those exist, too. Justin Barney and Jamal St. Cyr compile their Mount Rushmore list here.
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JB: OT Tony Boselli, QB Mark Brunell, WR Jimmy Smith, RB Fred Taylor.
The Mount Rushmore is easy for me. Left tackle Boselli was the first draft pick in franchise history, the second selection in 1995. He was a spectacular player, but his career was cut short by shoulder injuries. Still, Boselli’s brief body of work was still recognized as elite and he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022. He’s unquestionably No. 1 for me, and for probably most every Jaguars follower.
Taylor is second on my list. He did get a bit of a bad rap as injury plagued during his NFL career. Taylor played a full 16-game regular season just twice in 11 years, so I get it. But at his peak, Taylor was a beautiful back to watch work. He was a 230-pound force who could move and cut like a scat back. If not for Randy Moss’s otherworldly first season, Taylor would have likely won rookie of the year honors in 1998. Appreciation for Taylor has grown since his retirement. He rushed for 11,271 yards and 62 TDs in Jacksonville. Eventually, he’ll get into the Pro Football Hall. Taylor was a first-time finalist this year.
Brunell is No. 3 for me. Jacksonville made a little-known deal with Green Bay in 1995 to acquire Brunell, and he became the best quarterback in franchise history. He’s still the all-time passing leader for the Jaguars and ranks fifth in franchise history in rushing.
Smith is the best receiver in Jacksonville history and it’s not particularly close. His 12,287 yards are nearly double that of the No. 2 player on that list (Keenan McCardell). His 67 TD catches are more than double than Marcedes Lewis (33), who ranks second in scoring grabs.
JSC: OT Tony Boselli, DE Tony Brackens, WR Jimmy Smith, RB Fred Taylor.
The options for the Mount Rushmore is a short list so my list is very similar to Justin’s, with only one difference. I added Tony Brackens. He is hands down the best defensive player in Jags franchise history. He still owns the record for career sacks (55). (Josh Allen could break that this season.) Brackens was a force! While Brunell deserves his flowers, I just couldn’t with good conscience put him about T Brack.
Since Justin has made strong arguments for the rest of my list i’ll keep it short.
Tony is the only Pro Football Hall of Famer in franchise history. Enough said. Fred and Jimmy are the only two other players who even have a strong argument to be in Canton in franchise history. They both should be in but that is a whole different dialogue.