Jaguars Land Potential Hall of Famer in 2012 Re-Draft

One of the most impactful drafts of the Jacksonville Jaguars' last few decades was unquestionably the 2012 NFL Draft.

The Jaguars made the franchise-altering selection of Justin Blackmon at No. 5 after a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the rest was history. Blackmon displayed elite talents, but off-field issues limited him to just 20 career games during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Blackmon had the talent to be the next Jimmy Smith and the face of the Jaguars, but his demons -- and the Jaguars' lack of foresight before the draft -- prevented that from becoming a reality, and the Jaguars moved into the Gus Bradley and Dave Caldwell era with a significantly less talented roster as a result.

But what if it all never happened?

That is the question posed by Pro Football Focus, who recently did a re-draft of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Instead of having the Jaguars trade up from No. 7 to No. 5 like they did over a decade ago, PFF had the Jaguars sticking at their original spot and taking Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate Luke Kuechly.

Kuechly had a star-studded career with the Carolina Panthers, and could have been exactly what the Jaguars needed considering the state of the franchise and the roster in 2012.

"Regardless of the injuries that cut his career short, Kuechly was worth every bit of his top-10 selection. Across his eight-year career, Kuechly earned an elite 94.0 PFF overall grade. That included a five-year stretch from 2014 to 2018 during which he earned at least a 90.0 PFF grade in each season. Though it was short-lived, Kuechly’s NFL career should earn him an eventual spot in the Hall of Fame," PFF said.

The selection of Blackmon will always be seen as arguably the greatest draft error in franchise history due to his wasted potential and how avoidable the situation truly was for the Jaguars. And considering how many top talents were selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Jaguars certainly had safer options.

But the Jaguars had to sleep in the bed they made, and they missed out on talents like Kuechly as a result. Lesson learned for the franchise moving forward.