After finishing 13-4 and winning the AFC South title last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars were expected to make a few swings in the offseason. They didn't, and instead sat out free agency, choosing instead to re-sign their own players. Then, the NFL Draft came, and general manager James Gladstone raised eyebrows for his curious strategy.
This doesn't mean the Jags will regress in 2026, but it feels like they didn't do enough to reload a roster that was in need of reinforcements. Not surprisingly, they've taken a tumble in post-NFL Draft power rankings.
The Jaguars tumble in Post-NFL Draft power rankings
Eric Edholm of NFL Media did a Post-NFL Draft power ranking and moved the Jags two spots down from No. 12 to No. 14, pointing out that he wasn't a fan of their draft haul. In particular, he doesn't think that Jacksonville came out with players who can make an impact right off the bat. Here's the skinny.
"'ll be honest, I didn't love the Jaguars' haul," Edholm wrote. "I don't know too many folks who did. I felt like a team that didn't care for the draft class as a whole, felt pretty good about the roster in general, and decided to take players it liked, with little regard to value. That's fine and good, as long as the approach works. We'll see."
Edlholm continued, "The Jaguars were a good team last season, and they have the goods to be competitive again, but at no point this offseason — even with the Jags lacking a first-round pick — did I think they could skate through three days of the draft without getting more immediate help."
Later, Edholm does point out that he liked a few of the Jags' picks. Specifically, he approves the selection of Emmanuel Pregnon and wide receiver Josh Cameron.
"I liked a few of their picks, such as third-round OG Emmanuel Pregnon and sixth-round WR Josh Cameron, but I don't know how they get much in the way of immediate returns from their rookies," Edholm wrote."
Circling back to Edholm's original assessment, he said something that stands out. It won't matter that general manager James Gladstone is getting all the flak right now if his approach ultimately works, something nobody knows for sure. That said, he should at least get a bit of credit for opting not to follow conventional norms and do things his way.
The good news is that not every analyst out there agrees with Edholm. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report put the Jaguars at No. 10 in his ranking more or less for the same reason. B/R colleague Brent Sobleski opines that they didn't have to make substantial upgrades in the offseason and instead need to focus on learning how to finish.
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James Gladstone did manage to address the Jaguars larger scale roster
The Jaguars focused on adding depth pieces and future contributors in the draft because they didn't have a first-round pick. Granted, that was kind of a self-inflicted wound, as they gave up their first in 2026 as part of the Travis Hunter trade last year. Speaking of, they'll need more out of the former Heisman Trophy winner next season to justify giving up so many assets to move up for him.
Anyway, the Jags needed to add reinforcements at defensive tackle and the pass rush but weren't enamored with this year's class, so they instead opted to fortify other position groups. The tight end unit, in particular, got a boost with Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol.
James Gladstone has caught heat for reaching for Boerkircher, but the pick will look much better if he helps the Jags become a tougher team at the line of scrimmage. On the other hand, Koziol isn't that great a blocker but could operate as a quasi-receiver in head coach Liam Coen's system.
It's also worth noting that Jacksonville did address the defensive line, picking Albert Regis in Round 4, and Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee in Rounds 4 and 7, respectively. Ideally, they would've addressed the trenches early in the draft, but that might've been a sign that they're confident sophomores Danny Striggow, B.J. Green II, and the recently traded Ruke Orhorhoro can make an impact.
The truth is that it's just hard to tell just how much the Jaguars improved after the draft. But if they did take a step, you should routinely see them in the top 10 of most NFL Power Rankings next season.
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