NFL Thursday takes flight from Missouri and heads down to Florida to check out the best players in the short(er) history of the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, one of the few NFL teams to never have played in a Super Bowl. That doesn’t mean the franchise has not had good players, of course; it just means that as an expansion organization, the Jags have had less time than most other teams to thrive. All in due time …

No. 10: Daryl Smith, LB—63 AV (2004-2012)

A second rounder, he’s relatively anonymous to the outside world, we’re guessing, as he never made a Pro Bowl in his career. While with the Jacksonville franchise, Smith did get 21.5 sacks and 6 interceptions over a 9-year period; he also racked up 682 tackles in 126 regular-season games (124 starts). He topped the NFL in fumble-return yardage once (2007), but he never managed to reach double digits in AV, which is weird, right?

No. 9: Rashean Mathis, CB/FS—68 AV (2003-2012)

Also a second-round pick, he made one Pro Bowl in his career (2006): Mathis grabbed 8 INTs that season in what was by far his best effort (18 AV). In fact, it was the only season in his career that he cracked double-digit AV. In total with the franchise, he managed 30 INTs total over 10 seasons and 137 regular-season games (129 starts). His best postseason was 2007, when he had 2 INTs in the 2 games the Jaguars played. Not bad!

No. 8: David Garrard, QB—70 AV (2002-2010)

Despite being a mostly backup for his first 4 seasons with the team, he finds himself on this list due to solid play over the final 5 seasons of his career (all with Jacksonville)—including a Pro Bowl nod in 2009. His 40-38 overall record as a starter, including the playoffs, is not shabby considering the franchise’s overall lack of postseason success. His final 4 seasons all rated out to 13 AV each, and he was our MVP pick for 2007, too.

No. 7: John Henderson, DT—72 AV (2002-2009)

Seriously, who here had heard of this guy before now? He was the No. 9 overall pick in the draft, and Henderson reached two Pro Bowls while with Jacksonville (2004, 2006). So, he wasn’t a bust, per se, but he may not have been the disruptive force the team was hoping for, either. His Pro Bowl seasons were the only ones of his career with double-digit AV, as he registered 29 sacks and 426 tackles overall with the team.

No. 6: Tony Boselli, T—74 AV (1995-2001)

We’re surprised he is in the Hall of Fame despite such a short career (injuries), but as the No. 2 overall pick for an expansion team, he played very well for a handful of seasons before crapping out: 5 consecutive Pro Bowls (1996-2000), 5 straight seasons of double-digit AV (1996-2000, 68 AV combined), and 6 playoff starts as the team built itself into one of the most consistent NFL franchises pretty quickly after inception. Check!

No. 5: Maurice Jones-Drew, RB—85 AV (2006-2013)

Despite being just 5-foot-7, MJD was one of the most dynamic players in the league during his time with the Jags: 3 straight Pro Bowls (2009-2011), NFL rushing leader (2011), and 6 consecutive seasons of double-digit AV (2006-2011). However, a league-high 386 touches in 2011 may have broken him, as he was injury prone after that and burned out quickly. Still, that is a lot of return from the No. 60 overall pick in the draft, no?

No. 4: Brad Meester, G/C—103 AV (2000-2013)

Slightly more well known than some of the guys above, he never made a Pro Bowl as the No. 60 overall pick in the draft. But he anchored the offensive line seemingly forever. He posted 1 year of double-digit AV (2006, 10), yet he was very consistent in providing solid play for the Jacksonville offense. He played in 209 regular-season games and 2 postseason games—and Meester started in every one of them, too: reliable.

No. 3: Mark Brunell, QB—104 AV (1995-2003)

As the organization’s first franchise quarterback, Brunell reached 3 Pro Bowls with the Jags after they plucked him away from the Green Bay Packers. He had been a fifth rounder, but the Jacksonville staff turned him into a star: he topped the NFL in passing yardage in just his second season as a starter (1996), as the team went all the way to the AFC Championship Game in just its second year of existence. He did a lot.

No. 2: Fred Taylor, RB—106 AV (1998-2008)

The team’s first workhorse running back did his job well, averaging over 1,000 yards rushing a season for his 11 years with the organization—and leading the league in rushing yards per game once (2000). Taylor also scored 70 TDs with the team, despite making the Pro Bowl just once (2007), oddly enough. He also averaged over 87 ypg in the postseason, too, as Jacksonville went 3-4 during his career in the playoffs.

No. 1: Jimmy Smith, WR—118 AV (1995-2005)

We love this guy’s story, and we have no idea why he’s not in the Hall of Fame: after his 1992 rookie season with Dallas, he missed the next 2 seasons due to injuries, etc. He resurfaced with the expansion Jags in 1995 and ended up reaching 5 consecutive Pro Bowls (1997-2001) while leading the NFL in receptions once (1999) and posting double-digit AV in 8 different seasons. They ought to make a TV movie based on his NFL career,