Welcome to Big Cat Country’s staff roundtable!
We’re here to preview the busiest weekend of the football offseason. Even if the Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t active in Round 1 tonight, the team has 11 current picks to make (or trade) on Friday and Saturday.
Find the rest of our draft content at our Jaguars 2026 NFL Draft home page.
Question 1
Do you view any position(s) as a glaring need that must be addressed, or do the Jaguars have the luxury of taking a “best player available” approach?
Dillon Appleman: I think
the need at linebacker is more significant than a lot of fans want to admit. While Ventrell Miller is a solid player and more than capable of taking on a bigger role in this defense, the dropoff behind him and Foye Oluokun is significant. Miller played 20% of defensive snaps last season as a depth piece, so finding a player to absorb that vacated snap share is a quiet but critical necessity. Not just that, but they need a player who is capable of stepping in as a competent starter should injury strike. Without that insurance policy on the roster, the defense lacks the necessary contingency plan at the second level, and that could derail Camp’s unit in a major way.
Travis Holmes: For the first time in quite a while, the Jaguars find themselves in a stable position across the roster, allowing them to genuinely focus on drafting the best player available in the second round. That said, they still need to address certain areas, particularly the rotational defensive end role or the addition of a three-technique defensive tackle. Ideally, they add one of these positions, but adding both would be a major weekend win.
Gus Logue: I’ll always be a member of the Build Through The Trenches and Maximize The Franchise Quarterback crowds, and I’ve long lobbied for the Jaguars to splurge on a playmaking safety, but Jacksonville can let the draft come to them. Their top positions of need don’t have to be addressed immediately.
Henry Zimmer: I think the Jaguars have fine players at pretty much every position, but can probably use the most help and/or depth at the offensive line position. It isn’t flashy, but keeping Trevor Lawrence upright and healthy is the top priority. To do so, you have to have a solid offensive line.
Question 2
Is general manager James Gladstone more likely to trade up, down, or for a veteran during the draft?
Dillon: We have one year of a reference point for Gladstone’s draft strategy, and he made one of the most aggressive trades of all time, so it has to be more likely that he would trade up because, at this point, that’s all we know. That said, I don’t think this is the draft where you get aggressive. The talent pool isn’t worth leveraging your future draft capital, so I would prefer to cast that wide net with the 11 picks the team currently has, but I will still blindly trust the Gladstone vision no matter what.
Travis: With the roster’s foundation largely solidified in 2025, this draft presents a golden opportunity for the Jaguars to elevate the team’s ceiling. For me, that means targeting players who can make a significant impact through draft-day trades. Some names that come to mind are EDGE defenders Alex Highsmith or Nick Herbig from Pittsburgh, or perhaps even a game-changing tight end like Kyle Pitts to pair with Brenton Strange.
Gus: I agree with Dillon’s point about this not being the year to move up the draft board. Jacksonville may attempt a baby trade-up to leap a team with similar positional needs — maybe they help Atlanta reload draft capital and move to pick No. 48, in front of Detroit at No. 50, to select an EDGE — but a trade-up into the first round would be shocking. I think, like most general managers this weekend, Gladstone will look to trade back and/or for 2027 picks.
Henry: Only James Gladstone knows what goes on in that head of his, but I would imagine he tries to use his picks to trade up. I am not sure it makes too much sense to trade into the back half of the first round, but we saw him get aggressive last year. Either way, I see him trying to trade up at some point or another.
Question 3
Who’s one prospect you’d love to see the Jaguars walk away with this weekend?
Dillon: I would love for the Jaguars to land one of either DL Christen Miller or LB Jacob Rodriguez with their first pick (wherever that may be). Both players are expected to go in the top 40 or so, but I think if there are two players worthy of another Jimmy Gladstone trade-up, it’s Miller or Rodriguez.
Travis: I’m all in on UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence. Yes, I’ll admit it, I’m a bit biased being a former UCF player, but this feels different. Just like my push for RJ Harvey during the 2025 draft cycle, a biased take doesn’t automatically make it wrong. Watching Lawrence on tape, it’s clear he’s a mature pass rusher with a strong ability to turn speed into power. He uses his long arms effectively to keep offensive linemen off him while maintaining balance. His counters are impressive, often with built-in counters of their own. He posted solid numbers too, with 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in 13 games. A friend of mine made a comparison to Randy Gregory, and now I can’t unsee it: Lawrence reminds me of a young Gregory, but without the off-field concerns.
Gus: Georgia TE Oscar Delp, partly because he has an intriguing profile as a physical blocker and undeveloped route-runner, but mostly because the early pick it’d take to draft him would signal a dedication to expanding Liam Coen’s playbook. I’d be excited to see what the Jaguars staff could cook up for Delp, Brenton Strange, and Quintin Morris in 3-TE sets.
Henry: Though I said the Jags should take an offensive lineman, I do really like Jacob Rodriguez out of Texas Tech. He fits the sort of Minshew mold of player and could be a good advertising tool while the team is in limbo with the stadium renovations. That shouldn’t be why you take a player, but anything helps!
Question 4
What do best- and worst-case draft scenarios look like for Jacksonville?
Dillon: Best-case scenario: The first 55 picks are flooded with offensive linemen, wide receivers, and edge players. That would leave most of the talent at LB and DL available for the Jags at 56 without having to trade up to get it. Worst-case scenario: They leverage their three third-round picks to trade up for a guard like Pregnon or Bisontis. I understand the logic, but there is Day-2 depth at IOL. The value (to me) isn’t there.
Travis: The ideal scenario for me would be leaving this weekend with a solid rotational edge rusher, a strong three-technique pass rusher, an outside cornerback, and a backup tight end, perhaps someone like Oscar Delp from Georgia. The worst-case scenario? Walking away Saturday afternoon, wondering who the top free-agent defensive tackles and edge rushers are still available on the market.
Gus: Best-case: Jaxon De Ville crashes the draft stage in Round 1 with a zipline entrance, stiff-arm of Roger Goodell, and crowd-surfing, security-dodging exit. Worst-case: Liam Coen wins an armwrestle against James Gladstone for the final decision on pick No. 56 and immediately trades it to Denver for RJ Harvey.
Henry: Best case: The Jags trade into the first round and get a starter that contributes from Day One. Worst case: they go safe and get an offensive guard who plays sparingly and doesn’t get his contract picked up down the line.
Question 5
What’s the top question that you have for the Jaguars before the draft begins?
Dillon: Is there any truth to the team’s rumored interest in trading up to draft running back Jadarian Price out of Notre Dame? That question really changes the entire draft strategy. If they trade up, then they’re saying that they’re not comfortable with the running back room as currently constructed and want someone with real RB1 potential. That would then push the defensive needs into late Day 3, which is a choice, considering their free agency losses this offseason.
Travis: How big of a priority does Jacksonville really place on the off-ball linebacker position? Did Devin Lloyd’s surprising performance in 2025 shift the team’s focus to filling that role maybe sooner than usual, or are they still comfortable leading with Ventrell Miller and possibly dealing with the growing pains of a rookie linebacker in a later round?
Gus: What’s your type? Right now, we only have a one-year sample of Gladstone’s drafting history to work with. Most of last year’s draft picks are “intangibly rich,” and a solid amount were present at the Senior Bowl, but we don’t have many other leads. Plus, the team is hush-hush about prospect meetings. Will this year’s draft class reveal any tendencies for Jacksonville’s reorganized scouting department?
Henry: My top question would be how much Gladstone values his wealth of picks. He is from the Rams’ tree of trading picks away, so I would want to know his thought process and theory on how much he values draft picks.
Jags fans, let us know your final predictions for the 2026 NFL Draft in the comments below!
