The Jaguars' first draft selection was also their first Hall of Famer, which couldn't have been more fitting – or deserved.
Tony Boselli, uber-talented and uber-competitive, was selected as the foundation piece of the Jaguars' franchise in the team's expansion season in 1995. And he turned out to be just that.
The Jaguars' first collegiate draft choice.
Their first All-Pro selection.
Their first player inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars.
Their first player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"In my opinion he is, and always may be, the best Jaguar ever," Mark Brunell
"We knew what he brought to the table to the Jaguars' organization as a whole," Jaguars Pride of the Jaguars running back Fred Taylor said. "He did it the right way."
Boselli, the No. 2 overall selection in the 1995 NFL Draft, played for the Jaguars from 1995-2001. He made five Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro three times in those seven seasons before injuries shortened his career.
"In my opinion he is, and always may be, the best Jaguar ever," said Pride of the Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell, Boselli's teammate throughout his Jaguars career.
Boselli was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022, the first Jaguars player so honored. He became the first member of the Pride of the Jaguars in 2006 and also a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.
He also is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2014.
"He had everything," said Hall of Fame left tackle Anthony Munoz, who informed Boselli of his Pro Football Hall of Fame election in January '22. "He had the size. He was athletic. He had long arms. He had leverage. Then there was a little of that nastiness, which all linemen need."
Boselli, who played collegiately at Southern California, missed his first four games of his 1995 rookie season with a knee injury then started the final 12 games that season – already playing at a high level. He started 16 games the ensuing regular-season and was key to the Jaguars' postseason appearance that season.
He highlighted that 1996 season with a career-breakout performance in an AFC Wild-Card game, playing Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith one on one in the Jaguars' 30-27 victory over the Buffalo Bills. That's a performance still considered one of the best in NFL history by an offensive lineman.
Boselli made the Pro Bowl in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 – making the game in 2000 after returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament the previous December. Boselli also was named first-team Associated Press All-Pro in 1997-1999 and is a member of the NFL's 1990s All-Decade team.
His number with the Jaguars, 71, has been retired.
Reminisce about the Jaguar's first-ever draft pick and Hall of Famer with the best pictures from Pride of the Jaguars Offensive Tackle Tony Bosseli's career in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville Jaguar top draft pick Tony Boselli (center) is all smiles as he talks to the media while James Stewart (left), the Jaguars second pick, and Bryan Schwartz, their fourth pick, clown around during a Thursday afternoon press conference in which the Jaguars' ten draft picks all signed contracts with the team. Rick Wilson/Staff 6/1/95
Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Tony Boselli answers questions at the Lineman's Challenge at the NFL Experience on January 21, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
The hands of a referee and Browns player #36 Issac Booth hold back Jacksonville Jaguars rookie offensive tackle #71 Tony Boselli as he expresses a degree of hostility towards Cleveland strong safety #42 Louis Riddick (right) after a third quarter play.
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli (71) is introduced before a game against the Indianapolis Colts in Jacksonville, FL, Dec. 10, 1995. The Colts defeated the Jaguars 41-31. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli (71) in action against the Indianapolis Colts in Jacksonville, FL, Dec. 10, 1995. The Colts defeated the Jaguars 41-31. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
