The NFL is almost halfway through the season, and while the Jacksonville Jaguars have several rookies making an impact already, one third-round pick in particular is standing out.
Sports Illustrated's Justin Melo ranked the 11 best third-round rookies approaching the midway point of the season, and Jaguars guard Emmanuel Pregnon landed at No. 1.
Pregnon, selected No. 88 overall, has started all six games at left guard for Jacksonville after winning the job during training camp. He has played 382 offensive snaps and, most importantly, has yet to be credited with allowing a sack.
"One of the more puzzling events of the 2027 NFL Draft was seeing Emmanuel Pregnon slide to No. 88 overall," Melo wrote. "We had a borderline first-round grade on the dominant
college guard. The Jacksonville Jaguars pounced on his draft-weekend slide and immediately inserted him into the starting lineup. Pregnon is helping anchor a 4-2 offense, and hasn't been credited with giving up a single sack so far."
Pregnon entered the NFL after earning first-team All-American honors during his final season at Oregon. He started 15 games for the Ducks and posted a 98% pass-block win rate across 446 pass-blocking snaps, helping an offensive line that became a finalist for the Joe Moore Award.
His performance so far has not been perfect; he has given up 12 pressures and been flagged six times through six games, with some uneven performances in pass protection. But there have also been some flashes of potential, such as during Week 3, when he did not allow a pressure on more than 30 pass-blocking snaps against New England's Milton Williams and Christian Barmore. And it's always a win for a team to see a mid-round draft pick become an immediate starter.
As Melo pointed out, of the 36 players selected in the third round this spring, only around 10 to 12 have already earned significant rotations. It says a lot about how good Pregnon is that he's ranked as the best among this already very exclusive list.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars rookie ranked No. 1 among NFL’s third-round picks
