The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2025 NFL Draft with 10 selections. After a series of trades, they came out with nine players. The most notable was Travis Hunter, but he's far from the only one who will have an immediate impact. Not every pick will pan out, but there's no doubt that the Jags raised the roster ceiling significantly. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report acknowledged it with a high grade.
Knox and the rest of the B/R scouting department assigned grades to every 32 teams for their draft class and gave the Jags an A, pointing out that they paid a steep price to move up for Hunter, but it was worth it because it potentially was a franchise-altering move.
"Jacksonville gave up its second-round pick and a 2026 first-round selection to move up three spots and add a sixth-round pick and a higher fourth-round selection. We'll have to wait to see how Hunter pans out, but, on paper, he addresses two of Jacksonville's biggest predraft needs."
Before the draft, Hunter said that he wouldn't go to a team that limited to one side of the ball. Given their needs at cornerback and wide receiver, the Jags were in a position to accommodate his request. After Day 1, general manager James Gladstone told the local media that he would primarily line up on offense in training camp and see his reps on defense increase as the regular season approaches.
"I haven't scoped out a number specifically," Gladstone responded when asked what kind of snap count the team had in mind for Hunter. "I think we're going to get through this initial onboarding window here, through the offseason program, and see where we end up by the end of that before ever coming to something concrete."
Aside from the Hunter trade, Knox praised Jacksonville for drafting Caleb Ransaw and Bhayshul Tuten, noting that both of them could have an impact early on.
"The Jags didn't pick again until late on Day 2 but landed a possible early contributor in safety Caleb Ransaw. Fourth-round pick Bhayshul Tuten should also make an early impact as part of Jacksonville's backfield rotation."
Knox goes on to say that Gladstone's aggressive approach to roster building is precisely what the Jaguars need to steer the ship in the right direction.
Although Pro Football Focus on gave Jacksonville a B, it was equally efusive of its haul and had positive things to say about each of the nine picks.
Why NFL experts are heaping the Jaguars with massive praise
This was James Gladstone's first year as a general manager, so all eyes were on him and how he would fare in the NFL. He passed the teams with flying colors, aggressively implementing his strategy.
Leaving aside that the Jaguars seemingly got the ways they were zeroing in on, they managed to recoup plenty of the ammo they gave up to trade up for Travis Hunter. Sure, they're still missing their first-round selection next year, and they probably won't get another one. That said, Jacksonville already got an extra third-rounder, so you could make the case that trading up wasn't nearly as expensive as it was. In fact, it will look like a bargain if the 2024 Heisman Trophy lives up to expectations.
Of course, the draft didn't finish in the first round, and even though the Jags didn't have a second-round selection after the Hunter trade, they managed to revamp several position groups. In fact, Jacksonville addressed nearly all its need with the exception arguably of defensive tackle. On the other hand, the offensive line and running back got a few intriguing pieces. Similarly, defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile acquired several new players to work with.
The bottom line is that the James Gladstone era is off to a good start, and and analysts are giving praise for his promising first draft haul.