Jacksonville Jaguars fans were going through it a bit on Friday night. While plenty of teams were bringing to mockery the media "best available" boards, the Jaguars went way off the board with Nate Boerkircher in Round 2 before making Albert Regis their first of three third-round picks.
Jacksonville got back on the board in a big way with the 88th overall selection. In my top 100, I had Pregnon as the 28th-ranked player in the class as the second-best guard.
The Oregon lineman wasn't for everyone. He's 24 years old. However, the All-American transfer from Wyoming has crystal clean tape and a great balance of physicality and technique.
This begs the question, was Pregnon a steal? How does he fit into the Jaguars' plans?
Grading the Jaguars' No. 88 selection: Oregon G Emmanuel Pregnon
I had to clean my glasses and blink out my eyes. I can't believe the same general manager that just signed off on a blocking tight end at No. 56 was the one who scooped up the final top-32 grade I had left in the draft.
Emmanuel Pregnon can do it all. He's a versatile guard that has the strength and lower-body power to dominate in the run game, but his feet are also quick enough to set the edge and redirect rushers in pass protection.
Emmanuel Pregnon isn’t talked about much, but he’s one of the best offensive linemen in the 2026 NFL Draft pic.twitter.com/0lB9WGrWtg
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) April 16, 2026
For a guard, Pregnon's 33 and 5/8" inch arms create tremendous length and allow him to get into the chest of defenders.
In addition to only allowing one sack since the start of 2024, he was the only guard at Pro Football Focus with an 85.0 grade or higher in both areas of blocking:
Oregon OL Emmanuel Pregnon Last Season:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 10, 2026
🟢 88.1 Pass Block Grade
🟢 85.8 Run Block Grade
ONLY Guard in College Football with 85+ Grades in Both Categories pic.twitter.com/aWTmvX4pOP
Why did Pregnon fall in the draft? I'm genuinely not sure. He's not a special but serviceable athlete, is on the older side, and plays a position that's generally regarded as not overly valuable.
However, the one commonality you get in Pregnon's evaluation is "safe", "floor", or "pro-ready". The Jaguars weren't exactly hurting at guard with Ezra Cleveland and Patrick Mekari in place as decent starts, but the value became undeniable.
When there's one first-round grade left on my board, and you get him at No. 88, you're getting an "A" regardless of position. James Gladstone needed a win like this after a rough pair of initial picks.
Grade: A
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