If you've been giving Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone some time to prove what he could do without having a first-round pick to work with, you now have the license to panic a little.
Early in the second round, the Houston Texans selected Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald with the 36th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
McDonald clearly expected to hear his name much earlier, as he had reserved a spot in the VIP green room as he waited to be called. If he ended up being chosen in the first round, there'd be nothing to cry over. However, losing out on the disruptive run stuffer in the second round is just too much to bear.
On Day 1 of the draft, rumors spread that the Gladstone was making and fielding calls to negotiate a deal that would get Jacksonville one of the first 32 picks. While it's good that he didn't chase any losses and stayed put, the amount of capital he has to work with on Day 2 would give him the chance to acquire the best prospect available at a variety of positions.
Not moving up to bump the Texans could show a lack of urgency and too much patience after all.
The Texans fortify their defense while the Jaguars still have huge question marks
I don't know what's worse: the fact that Gladstone hasn't fixed the defensive tackle situation or the reality that Houston has made massive investments to ensure they can make yet another playoff appearance in 2026. Nick Caserio made deals on the first day of the draft and stayed active in the free agency market as well. To be honest, when you compare his offseason to Gladstone's, you would think the Texans were the ones who lost a playoff game in the first round.
Even as I write this, excellent names keep flying off the board as Gladstone and the Jaguars stay put at 56. With two $100 million EDGEs on the roster, and a highly compensated Montaric Brown to boot, there aren't too many spots on the defense to spend premium capital. If the best defensive tackles keep flying off the board (another one was just called as I'm typing this), the team may need to start looking at the best off-ball linebackers and tight ends available.
In my opinion, picking a tight end in the second round would be a huge reach for the Jags. Especially as Brenton Strange enters a pivotal year in his career. You can never have too much talent on a team that's trying to compete for a Super Bowl, but there are glaring weaknesses on the roster that prevented Jacksonville from making a run last season and will stop them again if they aren't addressed.
The night is still young, and there's an entire third round for James Gladstone to work some magic with. However, it's almost safe to say that the premier talent in this draft is completely spoken for.
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