Before Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft started, there were rumors that the Jacksonville Jaguars could try to jump into the first round. They ended up resisting the temptation. The good news is that there's still plenty of talent on the board, and the Jags still have all their picks, so they should have no trouble addressing the larger scale roster.
That said, the Jags still have to wait several picks before they're on the clock at No. 56, so they may need to trade up to avoid missing out on their preferred targets. And if they want to keep bolstering the interior defensive line even after acquiring Ruke Orhorhoro from the Atlanta Falcons, the perfect prospect remains on the board ahead of Round 2.
The Jaguars are in prime position to trade for Kayden McDonald
Let's get it out of the way, this wasn't a great year to draft a defensive tackle, but that doesn't mean the draft was devoid of talent at the position. It's just that it was a bit shallower. However, things played out in a way that should have the Jags salivating.
After the Bengals traded for Dexter Lawrence, that ruled out one team that was in need of help at defensive tackle in the first and second rounds. And ahead of Day 1, only two or three players were projected to be taken. Ultimately, though, Caleb Banks and Peter Woods were the only defensive tackles who heard their names. That leaves Lee Hunter, Christen Miller, and Kayden McDonald still on the board. Of the three, McDonald is the best, and the only one worth trading for.
McDonald has the strength to wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage and is the kind of tackle that can take on double or triple teams. In fact, you could even make the case that his only weakness is that he's got limited upside as a pass rusher. But even then, the former Ohio State Buckeye could turn out to be a mainstay of the Jacksonville defense. Surprisingly, though, he's somehow still on the board.
Fansided had McDonald at No. 27 in its top-50 big board. Heck, B&T's own Austin Swain suggested that the Jags would need to trade into the late 10s to land him. If he's on their radar, they won't have to move up that many spots.
What would it take for the Jaguars to trade up for Kayden McDonald?
First, the Jaguars would need to find a team willing to trade down if they're targeting Kayden McDaniel, as it takes two to tango. They have previously done deals with the Las Vegas Raiders (pick No. 36), the Cleveland Browns (pick No. 39), the New Orleans Saints (pick No. 42, and the Detroit Lions (pick No. 5), so they all could be potential partners depending on how many spots Jacksonville wants to move up.
The next thing would be to figure out the compensation. Last year, the Dolphins had to give their second, a third, and a fourth to the Raiders in order to move 11 spots from No. 48 to No. 37. So the Jags would need to be ready to give up that kind of compensation to move into the 40s range. And if they want to jump all the way into the 30s, they would probably have to fork out another third-rounder, either this year or next.
The good news is that the Jaguars have three picks in Round 3 (Nos. 81, 88, and 101) and two (their original selection and a compensatory one), so they most definitely have the ammo to strike a deal.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars didn't turn heads in Round 1, but that could change on Day 2 of the draft.
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