Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars caught a lot of heat for some of the picks they made in the 2026 NFL Draft. They were widely praised for taking offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon at No. 88 in the third round.
Pregnon was projected to go late in the first round or early in the second but ended up sliding. This led several analysts to call him one of the steals on Day 2. This begs the question: If the Oregon Duck was so good, why did he fall? Two reasons come to mind. First, he's an older prospect at 24. Moreover, he only lined up at guard during his collegiate career. The Jags probably don't care, though.
Whether Pregnon is a Day 1 starter or has to wait for his chance, it may be a matter of time before he joins the starting lineup. But where will the rookie hog molly line up? Two local analysts talked about it ahead of the Organized Team Activities.
Emmanuel Pregnon could play left or right guard for the Jaguars
Mia O'Brien invited Gus Logue to the Club 904 podcast. They discussed where Emmanuel Pregnon will line up, and whether Patrick Mekari or Ezra Cleveland could lose their job.
"The Cleveland conversation is interesting because Ezra is in the final year of his deal. I don't think that you are going to look to trade him, because he graded out," O'Brien told Logue (10:30 mark). "I was trying to pull up the PFF stats while you were speaking, Gus. He graded out as one of the Jaguars' best offensive linemen in 202. So, I do not think they're trying to move on from him right now. "
O'Brien continued, "I think the goal is obviously Emmanuel Pregnon sits for a year behind one of those two players, if those two players are up to snuff in training camp. But personally, even if Cleveland isn't a great match or a perfect match for where this run game is headed, I would say it's more likely that Pregnon usurped Makari at the right guard position, which then makes things interesting, because the thought was always, well, where is Wyatt Milam going to play at the next level, the Jaguars, second third round pick of 2025, and the answer was he probably becomes your left or your right guard."
Later in the exchange, O'Brien points out that Watt Milum could end up playing at left guard while Pregnon seizes the starting job on the right side.
"I do think, because he played left tackle at the collegiate level, you could always slot him at left guard behind after Ezra Cleveland departs next year, and then Pregnant becomes your right guard, which, as I've heard a time or two, the right guard historically is supposed to be at least, according to old school football guys, that's the one who sets the tone in the run game, and Emmanuel Pregnant certainly does that," O'Brien said.
In 51 collegiate games, Pregnon played 39 games at left guard and 12 at right guard, so he most definitely gives Jacksonville flexibility up front.
The Jaguars will want Emmanuel Pregnon to push Patrick Mekari and Ezra Cleveland
This Jaguars regime has truly put an emphasis on competition, and they'll want to see the best players take the field regardless of seniority or contract status. This is why nobody would bat an eye if either Patrick Mekari or Ezra Cleveland loses his job to Emmanuel Pregnon.
Mekari may be the more vulnerable of the two because he's coming off an underwhelming season. Then again, he was getting acclimated to playing right guard. Moreover, injuries held the veteran offensive lineman back, so there's a chance he will bounce back in 2025.
Having said that, Emmanuel Pregnon will be given a legitimate chance to compete and win a starting job, and both Ezra Cleveland and Patrick Mekari will have to look over their shoulder, or else run the risk of tumbling down the depth chart.
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