When the Jacksonville Jaguars hired James Gladstone as their general manager, they already had a solid core in place. Having said that, he addressed several glaring needs across the board. Fast forward to the end of the regular season, and the Jags are 12-4 in part because of the tweaks he made to the roster.
Surprisingly, though, the Jags haven't gotten much production from their 2025 draft class. Not because Gladstone made bad picks, but rather because most of their rookies got hurt. However, those who stayed healthy managed to show promise, and one of them recently made the cut on an illustrious list.
Jaguars center Jonah Monheim made ESPN's All-Rookie Team
Benjami Solak of ESPN put together an All-Rookie team and included Jonah Monheim, noting that the former USC Trojan has logged the most snaps among first-year centers in the league this season.
"Haven't heard of Monheim? I don't blame you," Solak wrote. "The seventh-round pick has played 187 snaps at center this season, which is ... 162 more than second place. For those 187 snaps, he is our first-team center (The film against the Colts this past Sunday was ... not great)."
For context, the No. 2 rookie center is Drew Kendall. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the fifth round.
With incumbent Robert Hainsey nursing a groin injury, Monheim made his second start at center in Week 17. He logged 69 offensive snaps and was credited with two pressures surrendered but no sacks. This season, the Moonpark, California native has posted a 95.1 percent pass block win rate and a block win rate of 77.8 percent. Despite the limited sample, both figures are pretty solid.
Monheim has registered the third most snaps among Jacksonville rookies in 2025. Fellow seventh-round pick LeQuint Allen leads the class with 248 offensive snaps, and fourth-round pick Bhayshul Tuten is second with 199 snaps on offense.
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Jonah Monheim could turnout to be a sleeper for the Jaguars in 2026
As noted before, the Jaguars didn't get nearly as much production from their rookie class because of injuries. Two-way star Travis Hunter (first round), linebacker Jack Kiser (fourth round), and edge rusher Jalen McLeon (sixth round) have landed on Injured Reserve at some point. Wyatt Milum, on the other hand, dealt with a knee injury that held him back early in the regular season. Safety Rayuan Layne, for his part, has carved a niche on special teams but has hardly gotten any snaps on defense.
All of them, though, compete for bigger roles in 2026. The same is true for Jonah Monheim, who could challenge Robert Hainsey, who is dependable but far from great, for the starting job. After all, he's flashed enough this season to make you think that he could develop into a starter or, at worst, a high-end backup.
Either way, Monheim has done one in his rookie season to make you think that he could become a mainstay of the Jaguars offensive line for years to come. His inclusion on Benjamin Solak's list is proof of it.