The Jacksonville Jaguars were applauded for drafting Emmanuel Pregnon in the third round, and he started right away after performing well in training camp and the preseason. While this has meant he was essentially thrown straight into the deep end of his NFL career, offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said that might be a good thing.
In a press conference on Thursday, Udinski spoke about Pregnon, who earned Jacksonville's starting left guard job during training camp. Since then, the rookie has already faced a variety of defensive fronts, schemes, and techniques through the Jaguars' first three games, as well as during practice against the Jaguars' own defense.
Udinski said this will give Pregnon valuable experience that should pay off as the season
progresses.
"For him to get out there and face those different techniques and face those different types of plays is really invaluable, and it's awesome to see the way he's embraced all the different challenges on kind of a week-to-week basis"
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 1, 2026
Coach Udinski on Emmanuel Pregnon and how he… pic.twitter.com/1KEhQnIisL
"We're fortunate to have the guys we have here to go against in training camp every day, whether it's our edge guys or our interior guys," Udinski said. "And I think that kind of the old cliché of iron sharpening iron, but that those guys going good on good and continue to get those reps, is really something that will allow Emmanuel to grow."
Pregnon's development began well before the regular season. He worked his way into first-team reps during training camp, with Liam Coen noting at the time that facing different pressures, stunts, and fronts would be an important part of his progression.
That learning process has continued into September. Udinski said Pregnon has already been forced to adjust not only to different types of players, but to defenders using different techniques and playing within different schemes.
"For him to get out there and face those different techniques, face those different types of plays, really invaluable," Udinski said.
The challenges won't stop this week. Pregnon and Jacksonville's offensive line will face another difficult test Sunday in Cincinnati, giving the rookie another opportunity to add to an education that has already moved quickly.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Emmanuel Pregnon embracing every early challenge for Jaguars
