Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) is all smiles as he watches the fireworks after the singing of the national anthem before the start of Sunday's game. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Los Angeles Chargers at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida Sunday, August 8, 2018. The Jaguars trailed at the half 24-3. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] Fljax Jaguarsvschargersbs1 Bob Self/Florida Times-Union via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Former Jaguars QB Named Among Best Day 3 Picks Ever

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 3:13 PM ET

All things considered, the Jacksonville Jaguars made out pretty well when they selected Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Thanks to Minshew's electric rookie season and the mostly-solid starts he has made for three other teams since, Minshew was recently named by ESPN's Ben Solak as the greatest No. 178 pick in NFL history.

In terms of how Solak determined where players fit in his rankings, he made sure to give some context ahead of the massive endeavor.

"I took "best" to mean some combination of "most talented" and "most successful." As is always the challenge in debating the bestness of football players, any argument that exclusively looks at Super Bowl wins and All-Pro nods is insufficient and lacks context," Solak said.

"Similarly, any argument that leans solely on individual player stats and film impressions is lacking as well. I generally tried to use historical accolades to contextualize career-long production. Peak season performance and single-season record-setting also mattered to me; this isn't just a measure of who played the longest but also who played ... well, the best. And of course, rings matter because rings always matter. But there's no formula here. There's my read on each pick, levied as fairly as I could make it. Disagreement is expected."

Minshew Mania was alive and well in Jacksonville during Minshew's rookie season, but he was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional Day 3 pick as a result of the Jaguars landing Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Minshew, who was selected by Tom Coughlin and Dave Caldwell in the sixth-round (No. 178 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, started 20 games for the Jaguars over two seasons, including a rookie year in which he went 6-6 as a starter and won the job over Nick Foles at mid-season.

Minshew started eight games during Jacksonville's 1-15 season last year, going 1-7 as a starter and throwing 16 touchdowns to just five interceptions. A hand injury, however, forced him off the field and he was later benched for Mike Glennon after returning.

Minshew finished his Jaguars' career with 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 5,530 yards passing (6.9 yards per attempt) with a 62.9% completion rate.