Jaguars' 2026 rookie class is quietly rising to the challenge

The Jacksonville Jaguars raised eyebrows in the 2026 NFL Draft for ignoring the consensus big board and using their own internal process to select players instead. General manager James Gladstone, in particular, caught lots of heat for taking tight end Nate Boerkircher in the second round. And the only pick the Jags earned praise for was offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon in Round 3. Then again, they had a plan in mind.

Since Gladstone took over the front office in 2025, he's made it an emphasis to look for intangibly rich players, players who are tough and love football. Jacksonville's 2026 draft class most definitely fits the bill. But not only that.

The organization is watching the rookie class have an immediate impact and play a role in the 4-2 record to start the season. With the benefit of hindsight, it's fair to say that Gladstone knew what he was doing.

Nate Boerkircher, Emmanuel Pregnon and Josh Cameron are making an impact for the Jaguars

Nate Boekircher was seen mainly as a blocker coming out of college but had underrated pass-catching skills. Although the Aurora, Nebraska native thrived as a blocker early on and helped the Jaguars fix the running game (their stink from last year), he just showcased his ability to catch the football, reeling in a one-handed touchdown grab in the 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans.

Then again, Boerkircher's pass-catching skills shouldn't come as a surprise when you take into account that he had a separation rate of 86.4 at Texas A&M.

On the other hand, Emmanuel Pregnon was a Day 1 starter at left guard. He did struggle a bit against the Texans, but he's going to have growing pains like virtually any other rookie. Still, he's shown enough promise to make you think that he's going to be a fixture of the Jacksonville offensive line. But wait, there's more!

Sixth-round pick Josh Cameron has also had an immediate impact, reeling in eight catches for 117 yards with two touchdowns. He also carved out a role as a returner, so expect the rookie out of Baylor to see further chances on both offense and special teams as the year progresses.

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The Jaguars are thrilled about the 2026 rookie class' progress

The Jaguars must be thrilled about the trio of Nate Boerkircher, Emmanuel Pregnon, and Josh Cameron, but they appear to be pleased with the rest of their 2026 draft class. One day after the loss to Houston, head coach Liam Coen met with the local media. He talked about what his seen from other rookies, pointing out that nearly all of them have either contributed in some way or are making strides.

"Tanner Koziol got a little bit more burn as well this week, hoping to continue to build off of that. Josh Cameron, he's playing a lot of football for us, "Coen told reporters. "Let me see here, Bryan Thomas Jr., hopefully, we continue to get him some more rush ops as we go. He's doing a good job on special teams. Obviously, Emmanuel Pregnon. I thought he had one of his better outings yesterday, had the one hold, and we'll continue to work with him as he goes on the second level and getting up, getting in space. But I thought he played really, really well on the inside for us yesterday."

Coen continued, "I thought Wesley Williams and both Albert Regis had awesome weeks of practice. They were so critical to our preparation last week. They gave us such a good look up front. Our Thursday practice in London was the fastest, most physical practice we've had of the season, and those two were a huge part of that. I think J'Mari Taylor has done a really nice job on the show team as well on some of those looks, and then T.J. Bollers, Michael Pena, a lot of those guys are continuing to surface for us, so hopefully we can continue to develop that crew."

Simply put, the Jaguars are seeing their rookie class come through, and they should expect an even bigger impact once they're back from their BYE.

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