When the Jacksonville Jaguars acquired the ninth overall pick in the 1998 draft by shipping backup quarterback Rob Johnson to Buffalo, nobody envisioned they were executing one of the greatest trade thefts in modern NFL history. By selecting Florida star Fred Taylor, the Jaguars secured a local hero whose electrifying size-speed combination instantly gave Jacksonville a homegrown superstar capable of taking any touch the distance.

Standing 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, Taylor ran with an unmatched blend of violent power, delicate footwork, and runaway track speed. Rather than barreling mindlessly into defenders, he used a signature dead-leg hesitation move in the open field, leaving linebackers grasping at air before accelerating away from secondary defenders. Though early-career soft-tissue injuries earned him an unfair label, Taylor completely erased that narrative through pure resilience, becoming one of the most punishing and durable workhorse backs of his era.

Taylor made a splash with his impressive 1998 rookie season, rushing for 1,223 yards and 14 touchdowns, along with 421 receiving yards, totaling 1,644 yards from scrimmage. His best statistical season came in 2000 when he led the NFL with an average of 107.6 rushing yards per game, achieving 1,399 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 13 games. That year featured a standout 234-yard, three-touchdown game against Pittsburgh, solidifying his reputation as a big-game performer.

He backed up that dominance in 2003 by rushing for a career-high 1,572 yards and leading Jacksonville to multiple playoff runs. Over a stellar six-year stretch from 2002 through 2007, Taylor recorded five 1,000-yard seasons, routinely ranking among the league's leaders in efficiency and yards per carry. Despite being one of the most feared runners of his generation, Taylor was notoriously overlooked by national voters, earning his lone, long-overdue Pro Bowl nod in 2007 after rushing for 1,202 yards at age 31.

He surpassed 1,000 rushing yards seven times, serving as the physical heartbeat of the offense through multiple coaching regimes. After concluding his career with a brief two-year stint in New England, Taylor signed a ceremonial one-day contract in 2011 to officially retire where his legendary journey began.

Over his 140 regular-season games for the Jags, he compiled 11,271 rushing yards, 286 receptions for 2,361 receiving yards, and 70 total touchdowns (62 rushing, 8 receiving), departing as the franchise’s all-time leading rusher. A 2007 Pro Bowler, 2007 Second-Team All-Pro, member of the 10,000-Rushing-Yard Club, and inductee into the Pride of the Jaguars (2012), Taylor stands as pure Jacksonville royalty.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars spent their inaugural 1995 draft building a franchise foundation, nobody expected the cornerstone of their offense to arrive via a tryout for a former castoff. Drafted out of Jackson State by Dallas in 1992, Jimmy Smith spent his early years enduring severe abdominal illness, an appendectomy, and a year out of football entirely after brief pitstops with the Cowboys and Eagles yielded zero catches. Jacksonville handed him a second chance, and Smith turned it into one of the most remarkable career-resurrecting acts in NFL history.

Smith demonstrated a silky smooth stride, explosive vertical speed, and remarkable body control on deep boundary routes. He formed the renowned "Thunder and Lightning" duo with Keenan McCardell. Opposing cornerbacks struggled to handle his releases and cover his range along the sidelines. Together with Mark Brunell, Smith quickly became a matchup nightmare, turning Jacksonville from a new expansion team into a consistent AFC contender that made it to two conference title games in its first five years.

After a quiet 22-catch introduction during the Jaguars' maiden 1995 season, Smith broke out in 1996 with 83 receptions for 1,244 yards, kicking off an absolute reign of terror. Over the next nine seasons, he breached the 1,000-yard receiving mark eight times. His best season came in 1999, when he led the NFL with 116 receptions for a career-high 1,636 yards and six touchdowns, leading Jacksonville to a league-best 14–2 regular-season record.

While debate often swirled between Smith and franchise icon Tony Boselli, the statistics are undeniable. Smith ranks first in franchise history by a massive margin in Approximate Value (135), providing elite production and incredible longevity across 11 seasons. Even in his final NFL season at age 36 in 2005, Smith showed zero signs of regression, racking up 1,023 yards and six touchdowns before abruptly stepping away on his own terms.

Though secondary struggles after his retirement and a lack of early-career fanfare have kept him outside Canton's gates, Smith remains the undisputed offensive king of Duval County.

As a Jaguar, Smith compiled 862 receptions, 12,287 receiving yards, and 67 receiving touchdowns in Teal and Black—all franchise records that still stand today—alongside two early ring credentials from his inactive Dallas tenure. A five-time Pro Bowler (1997–2001), two-time Second-Team All-Pro, 1999 NFL receptions leader, and member of the Pride of the Jaguars (2016), Smith stands as the ultimate icon of Jaguars football.

Eduardo Escobar was traded late in the 2018 season, after debuting with the Chicago White Sox in 2011 and playing for the Minnesota Twins since 2012. 

Escobar had good years with Minnesota, but the versatile infielder’s best season was 2019, his first full year with the Diamondbacks.  He would post career-highs in Hits (171), Home Runs (35), and RBIs (118), and he led the NL in Triples (10).  After the 2020 COVID-19 season, Escobar did well in 2021 and was chosen for the All-Star Game, but was traded midway through the year to the Brewers, as he was slated to become a Free Agent after the season.

Escobar had 69 Home Runs with 358 Hits as a Diamondback.