That was all pretty anticlimactic.
The 2026 NFL Draft concluded Saturday, with the Jacksonville Jaguars drafting 10 players and starting in the second round for the first time ever. It was by no means the flashiest draft of all time, but one that looks to round out a roster that was a few plays away from a playoff win in the first year under new management. As Big Cat Country ourselves so eloquently put earlier in the week, “that was certainly one of the drafts of all time.”
Let’s take a look at winners
and losers from the most recent Jags draft, the first of its kind to not feature a first-round pick but certainly not the first draft to be deemed potentially the worst ever.
WINNERS
The Run Game
The serious winners after the draft should be fans of the run game and the team’s premier running backs themselves, Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Jacksonville not only didn’t draft or acquire another running back but they instead opted to draft two tight ends, highlighted by second round selection Nate Boerkircher who comes from the Chris Manhertz school of mauling people at the line. The Jags then drafted maybe their best player of the bunch in Oregon offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon, who some thought could have been drafted dozens of picks earlier.
Establishing the run sets up the pass, and vice versa, while protecting the quarterback at the line of scrimmage is how championships are won. From that standpoint, the Jags knocked it out in the draft and made it clear they think with a little help up front that Tuten and Rodriguez can help run the ball to victory.
Beefing up the front also leads into what can be considered our second winner…
People That Say Travis Hunter Should Play More Defense
If you’re of the mind second-year unicorn player Travis Hunter should play mostly defense, you might just be in luck. By drafting with a 12-personnel (two receivers, one running back and two tight ends) scheme in mind, the Jags now have a little bit less of a need for Hunter to play as much receiver. Coming off an injury suffered last year, using more 12-personnel even slightly could help extend Hunter’s usefulness by keeping him more on one side of the ball. If Jacksonville is to have just two receivers on the field a decent bit, it stands to reason that Hunter will be off the field.
Also, the Jags didn’t attack the cornerback market in free agency or the draft, so there is still a need for help on that side of the ball. If you are a Hunter at corner truther, these past few days might have given you a huge boost in Twitter arguments.
The Nothing Ever Happens Believers
So much for the Jags making a splash into the first round.
As always, there was a bit of smoke that maybe Jacksonville would package some picks and move into the later stages of the first round. There was talk that maybe the Jags were about to draft the running back of the future in a guy like Jadarian Price out of Notre Dame, whom the Seattle Seahawks ended up taking at 32nd overall. General Manager James Gladstone got heavily aggressive in his first draft by trading the team’s future first-round pick for Hunter, so why not do it again this year?
Instead the Jags did… Well… Nothing.
Jacksonville stuck at the 56th overall pick and took Boerkircher, who may or may not have been a reach. They stayed put and later took Pregnon. It wasn’t until the fourth round when Jacksonville made any sort of aggressive move, and all it was was trading up a handful of spots to select EDGE Wesley Williams. For those that believe nothing ever happens, you too got proven right during this draft.
There is also a bit of a cyclical nature to the draft, especially when it surrounds the Jags. Almost every draft is the “worst draft ever” and this one is certainly no exception. Maybe the Jags are always destined to draft in a weird way and it should never come as a surprise when the team takes a blocking tight end with their first selection. Nothing ever happens, after all.
At the end of the day, this is a franchise that took C.J. Henderson and Taven Bryan with first round selections so at least there seems to be palpable analytics behind what transpired with this draft class. As for splashy moves, or moves of any kind, that will be saved for next year. Or the year after that. Or the year after that. Or the…
LOSERS
Name Recognition
Now we can get into the not so humorous part of the draft: who the hell are half these guys?
If you had Boerkircher on your draft board as a serious target for the Jags, I wouldn’t believe you. If you were always super high on the upside of Albert Regis as a third rounder, I wouldn’t believe you. Pregnon is one thing, but there is no way anyone could convince me they had this draft looking like this. Looping back to the above point, with no splashy moves came too no splashy names.
Speaking of Henderson, the Jags have been spurned before by drafting pseudo-stars with name recognition so maybe drafting data-driven-roster-rounders isn’t a bad approach. But with all respect given to our boy Boerkircher, I don’t think I was the only one who wasn’t exactly chomping at the bit to buy his jersey.
Somewhat jokingly, but somewhat seriously, the NFL doesn’t even have headshots of Stanford wide receiver C.J. Williams (pick 203) and MTSU linebacker Parker Hughes (240) for the Jags website. At least we don’t draft like John Lynch but man, it was tough having to text my dad after every selection to justify and explain who some of these guys are.
Tight Ends Not Named Brenton Strange
With a more roster-focused idea in mind, this draft likely marks the beginning of the end of the road for guys like Hunter Long and Quintin Morris. Both players had strong years last year in their own right, but with two new tight ends coming in, it’s hard to see a future for either Long or Morris. Incumbent starter Brenton Strange however should have little to worry about.
Strange is TE1 in Jacksonville because he can both block and catch. He showed last year he can do both things at a high end level. To help him out, the Jags spent draft capitol to alleviate having an extra offensive lineman, or lesser pass catchers like Long and Morris, on the field and will replace them with the likes of Boerkircher or fifth-round tight end Tanner Kozoil.
Neither draft pick has a big resume of pass catching, but their blocking abilities mixed with pass catching upside might just see some of the Jags more veteran tight ends out the door.
Strange is fine. The others, likely not so much.
IN BETWEEN
James Gladstone
It isn’t often this winners and losers column finds someone in the middle, but after the draft, it’s hard to put Gladstone anywhere else.
Simply put, this wasn’t the draft anyone expected to see from Jacksonville. This draft class has been largely panned by pundits across the board for reaching on just about every pick. On the flipside though, real Jaguars fans know that Gladstone is a smart guy who maybe just drafted the heist of a century. It pains me to type it, but only time will tell.
The jury is obviously out on whatever transpired – or didn’t – these past few days and our faith as a Jags fanbase will have to stay rooted in the design set forth by Gladstone, Tony Boselli and head coach Liam Coen. Maybe the Jags truly are a few luxury picks away from figuring it out. This team retains Lawrence, perennial first-round trade target Brian Thomas Jr., Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen still. Is it the best shaped roster in the league? Certainly not. Is it the worst? Not by a long shot. So, we will have to play the waiting game to see what all is to come of this.
Personally though, I’m a bit more dubious of Gladstone and his concept for a franchise after the draft. By this time next year, I hope I’m eating my words.
Let us know your thoughts on the 2026 NFL Draft below. Who was your favorite pick? Did you think the Jaguars stole or sold the draft? Is blocking tight end the most valuable position in football? And be sure to stay tuned for more Jaguars news and content surrounding the draft and beyond.
