As much as everyone likes to harp on drafting the best available players, every team prioritizes positions of need on its board.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a good bet to add pass rush depth behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, linebacker competition to compensate for Devin Lloyd’s departure, and big-bodied skill players to diversify Liam Coen’s offense.
But which other positions should the Jaguars address sooner rather than later?
As Jaguars Director of Player Finance Trip MacCracken said in the
latest episode of The Hunt, “We always have one eye not only on the immediate year, but also into the future, two, three, four years down the road.”
Here are some under-the-radar positions to consider as the draft approaches.
Offensive Guard
One of the best individual player storylines from last season was Cole Van Lanen, who showcased his versatility and dependability by stepping in at multiple positions without missing a beat. He earned a contract extension during the season and a starting position going forward.
Otherwise, barring a standout training camp from a rookie, the starting offensive line doesn’t figure to look much different. That’s mostly a good thing; continuity up front is paramount.
Jacksonville’s 2025 Week 1 lineup included Walker Little (now 27 years old), Ezra Cleveland (27), Robert Hainsey (27), Patrick Mekari (28), and Anton Harrison (24). Van Lanen (27) figures to replace Little as Trevor Lawrence’s blindside protector. Harrison, a 2023 first-round pick who just got his fifth-year option picked up, is the only name who really qualifies as a building block.
The offensive line is in a good spot, with no immediate fixes needed, but it’s time to start thinking about long-term heirs along the interior. Cleveland is entering a contract season, and the team has outs to move on from Hainsey and Mekari’s deals next offseason.
Even if the internal plan isn’t to make wholesale changes in 2027, that could be the reality. Attrition hits this position harder than any other.
Middle Linebacker
After Lloyd left in free agency, everybody and their brother started penciling in linebackers for the Jaguars in their mock drafts.
Jacksonville is sure to add a backer or three over the next handful of days, but it may not be just a reaction to Lloyd leaving. It could be a proactive measure regarding Foye Oluokun (turns 31 in August).
Oluokun said himself at the end of the 2025 season, “We were a great team, a good team, but we weren’t good enough. I want to get better and better every year I play. And if I’m not getting better, I’m probably gonna be up out of here. I want to get better for the team, better for myself, in order to keep doing what I want to do.”
Father Time comes for everybody. As much as I’d like to see Oluokun play another half-decade before retiring as a Jaguar, I also think the front office would be wise to think ahead.
Jacksonville already drafted Jack Kiser in the fourth round last year, but they may as well get more young cats into the room to learn from Oluokun and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile while they’re still in town.
Safety
There are many lessons to be learned from the Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 Super Bowl defense, which suffocated opposing offenses all season long with ambiguous alignments, well-timed blitzes, and — as is typical for title-winners — waves and waves of pass rushers.
With the luxury of a daunting defensive line, Macdonald deployed a two-high safety shell and five or six defensive backs to discourage downfield passes. Thing is, the backend of Seattle’s defense is just as talented as its front. With shapeshifting playmakers at every level of the defense, Macdonald can get to any play against any personnel package.
The football world has fallen in love with Seahawks safety and DROY runner-up Nick Emmanwori, a ferocious fastball of a defender who can play in the box/across the slot/along the edge/wherever the hell Macdonald wants him. Everyone badly wants the next playbook-unlocking, middle-of-the-field defender like Emmanwori or Kyle Hamilton or Derwin James or Cooper DeJean.
Having one of those guys is a huge help, but really, Macdonald showed the value of fielding numerous versatile defenders to maximize schematic flexibility against various personnel packages.
“That’s what we value here, guys with a multiple skillset,” Campanile said in an offseason interview with Action Sports Jax when asked about Travon Walker’s versatility. “I think Antonio Johnson’s one of those guys. He kind of gives us the opportunity to put him in at will linebacker, at safety, at nickel, he moves all around.”
As you may remember, Johnson had a breakout campaign in his third season, earning the highest PFF grade (86.9) at his position and notching the second-most interceptions (5) in the league. Allow me to also remind you that Johnson is entering a contract season, and that fellow starting safety Eric Murray (turned 32 in January) has no guaranteed money on his deal after 2026.
We can all agree that the Jaguars should be aggressive in adding more chess pieces to the front during this weekend’s draft, even after acquiring Ruke Orhorhoro, but I also wouldn’t mind seeing an emphasis on shapeshifting defensive backs, even if Johnson and 2025 third-round pick Caleb Ransaw are Jaguars for the long haul.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
