The Jacksonville Jaguars are raising eyebrows across the NFL for their curious approach to the 2026 draft. With general manager James Gladstone leading the way, they picked several players before they were projected to go. That's led to widespread criticism of their strategy.
On the other hand, a few analysts have heaped praise on Gladstone because he refuses to play by conventional norms. And just recently, an NFL analyst came up with the perfect one-word assessment to describe their bold philosophy.
The Jaguars were dubbed defiant for James Glastone's unorthodox draft strategy
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report had a one-word review for each NFL team after the 2026 draft and called the Jaguars defiant, pointing out that James Gladstone doesn't care about conventional norms and will do what he wants.
"The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't have a first-round pick because of last year's bold move to acquire Travis Hunter," Knox wrote. "When they were on the clock for the first time, they used the 56th pick on Texas A&M's Nate Boerkircher, a blocking tight end who was viewed as a major reach. Boerkicher was the 185th-ranked prospect on the B/R draft board."
Knox continued, "The Jags immediately reached again in Round 3, grabbing Texas A&M defensive tackle Albert Regis, the 191st-ranked player on the B/R board. Jacksonville found some better value later in the draft, though GM James Gladstone largely focused on targeting players he believed fit the team. Gladstone also made it very clear that he doesn't care about perceived draft value. He's going to do what he wants."
When Knox says the Jags reached with Nate Boerkircher at No. 56, he's right. They were universally blasted for taking a blocking tight end who reeled in a meager 22 catches with the Aggies. However, a closer look shows that he was routinely opened but was somehow not targeted enough. Moreover, several teams ranked higher than the consensus draft board, so selection wasn't necessarily that bad when you put it in context.
On the other hand, the Jaguars might have waited until Round 3 to select Albert Regis even though defensive tackle was a need because they're confident the recently traded Ruke Orhorhorhoro can help fix that roster void.
Circling back to Regis, he's a stud against the run and may offer bigger pass-rush upside than Kayden McDonald and Christen Miller, two of the top defensive tackles in this year's class. When you add it all up, it looks like Jacksonville didn't mind picking McDonald at No. 81 as long as he becomes a part of the solution.
If both Regis and Boerkircher end up making an impact, Gladstone's gusty approach to the draft will look much better. On the other hand, it will deservedly catch plenty of heat.
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The Jaguars trust James Gladstone's vision to address the larger scale roster
Time will tell if James Gladstone's approach will work, but you cannot accuse him of being apathetic. Back in 2025, he took a wild swing when he traded up to select two-way star Travis Hunter, arguing that the former Heisman Trophy winners had the potential to change the landscape of sports as a whole. This year, he chose the players he wanted regardless of their ranking in the consensus big board.
Because his philosophy goes against conventional draft wisdom, Gladstone has been heavily scrutinized, and understandably so. When someone does something that doesn't match the norm, hethey'll'll be welcomed with a blank stare. Having said that, plenty of NFL executives have routinely followed traditional trends, and they have failed to reach success.
This is a long-winded way to say that you should definitely feel skeptical about the Jaguars' draft approach, but he can certainly take the satisfaction in the fact that he's going to fail, he's going to do it his way. Conversely, he might be pioneering a new way to scout talent, and the NFL doesn't know it yet, even though everyone is watching.
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