![Jacksonville Jaguars guard Emmanuel Pregnon (75) runs a drill during warm ups before hosting the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium in the second preseason game on Friday night, August 21, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_537,y_432,w_2436,h_1370/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/55/01m1yj77tprzq61d07b6.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars guard Emmanuel Pregnon (75) runs a drill during warm ups before hosting the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium in the second preseason game on Friday night, August 21, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
The Jacksonville Jaguars earned lots of praise for drafting Emmanuel Pregnon in Round 3 of the 2026 draft. But as promising as he looked early in the offseason program, he wasn't projected to start until injuries left the Jags no choice but to plug him into the starting lineup.
Now, Pregnon is set to start at left guard when Jacksonville faces the Cleveland Browns in the season opener. And based on head coach Liam Coen's latest remarks, he'll be up to the task.
The Jaguars have a mauler in Emmanuel Pregnon
Liam Coen met with local reporters ahead of the Browns game. He heaped praise on Emmanuel Pregnon, noting that he fits right in because of his physicality.
"I think Emmanuel has done a nice job so far of fitting in with the group while being himself in a lot of ways," Coen said (12:18 mark). "You can see that the guys are all starting to hang with him more, and have lunch together more and just connecting. We liked him a lot coming out because of his play style. He's a finisher. He finishes blocks down the field. He covers down. He cleans up the trash in the pocket. He instinctively did a lot of those things that we like and that we try to preach on a day-to-day basis.
Coen continued, "And I think he's a people mover in ways. You can't teach somewhat of the size and strength and ability to stay connected to people, whether it's at the first or second level. So he's been able to give us a little bit of that in terms of just hand strength. He is a strong man. Being obviously a younger player that has a lot to learn and will grow a ton throughout this season, but excited about maybe being able to run at him in ways too."
Pregnon flashed in the preseason, posting a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 74.0. On the other hand, the rookie hog molly also showed that he has his work cut out for him when he blew a block in the same game.
Still, Pregnon's upside is too hard to ignore, and the Jaguars are making the right call by plugging him into the starting lineup. Sure, he's going to deal with the growing pains that come with making the transition to the NFL. However, the former Oregon Duck has the traits to flourish in the pros.
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Emmanue Pregnon will get a chance to show out for the Jaguars
The Jaguars caught lots of heat for ignoring the consensus in the 2026 draft and sticking to their own board. That said, they were universally praised for nabbing Emmanuel Pregnon, with some analysts going as far as calling him the steal of Round 3.
Granted, Pregnon would not have seen the starting lineup if Patrick Mekari had been available and Wyatt Milum hadn't struggled. But such is life in the NFL.
Sometimes, you just need the right dominoes to fall to get your chance. Emmanuel Pregnon just did and will have a prime opportunity to prove the Jags indeed got a steal.
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