5 Jaguars Who Became Immensely More Important After the NFL Draft

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- With the 2026 NFL Draft now behind us, we have our best look yet at what the Jacksonville Jaguars might look like this season.

While much of the focus each offseason is based around new faces and the players and roles they may be replacing, there is one important context that is perhaps not discussed enough: which players the draft just made more important.

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Monday, April 20, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This comes mostly via the course of non-moves the Jaguars made in the draft, but that does not dampen their importance and potential impact in 2026. So, which Jaguars are more important now than they were before the draft? We break it down below.

OT Walker Little

The Jaguars certainly made a big move along the offensive line with Emmanuel Pregnon, but it is important to note exactly where Pregnon projects. Pregnon only played guard in college, and he looks like one of the only offensive linemen the Jaguars have added under this regime who does not make such as additional tackle depth. That is good news for Jaguars offensive tackle Walker Little, who the Jaguars have held onto all offseason for a reason.

Little started Week 1 as the Jaguars' left tackle last season, though that job went to Cole Van Lanen shortly before the Jaguars signed their former swing tackle to a long-term deal as their new future left tackle. With the Jaguars going through the entire course of the draft and offseason without adding anyone at offensive tackle to this point, Little is set to be critical as either a potential starter or as the Jaguars' top swing option. There is a good chance he starts games at some point or another this season.

CB Jarrian Jones

The Jaguars' cornerback group is one of the best on the entire roster, and for good reason. Montaric Brown is one of the better No. 2 cornerbacks in the entire NFL and was paid as such this March, while Travis Hunter is set to be the Jaguars' featured lockdown cornerback in his return to the field. But the Jaguars' talent at the position goes beyond those two big investments and also includes veteran cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones.

Considering the Jaguars did not add a single cornerback during the draft before signing Devon Marshall and Preston Hodge as undrafted free agents, there is a good deal of importance placed on both Lewis and Jones. Jones might have the stronger case, though, since he seems like the player who is most likely to come on the field when Hunter goes off of it. With no new names drafted to fill that role, Jones should have it all to himself.

DE Danny Striggow

The Jaguars did end up drafted two defensive ends on Day 3 in Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee, but that doesn't seem like it means much for Jaguars' second-year defensive end Danny Striggow. A rotational player as a rookie, the undrafted free agent success story looks like he has the inside track to the No. 3 defensive end rold after the Jaguars waited until round four to pick a player there.

James Gladstone could always sign a veteran or two in free agency to compete with Striggow, and it is important to note that linebacker Dennis Gardeck will likely see a ton of pass-rush snaps off the edge. With that in mind, Striggow's experience and run defense make him a clear candidate for an expanded role, especially after the way the Jaguars operated in the draft. Striggow will still have to earn a spot, but he has the ability to do so.

LB Dennis Gardeck

The argument for Gardeck here is similar to the argument for Striggow. Gardeck plays as an outside linebacker inthe Jaguars' base defense, but he spent the majority of the final stretch of the Jaguars' season as their top backup pass-rusher option behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. With Gardeck another year removed from his 2024 injuries, his role should remain the same.

Had the Jaguars drafted a pass-rusher in the top-100, they could have potentially pushed Gardeck down a spot in the pecking order. But the first defensive end the Jaguars selected, Williams, projects more as an early-down rotational player than he does a sub-package pass-rusher. Gardeck is the third best pass-rusher off the edge the Jaguars have on the roster, and their moves and non-moves over the course of the draft only reaffirmed that.

RB Bhayshul Tuten

One of the most fascinating players on the Jaguars' roster entering this season is second-year running back Bhayshul Tuten. Tuten spent last year as Travis Etienne's backup and as the Jaguars' goal line running back, but the chance to make more plays in an expanded and dynamic role seems possible in 2025. The Jaguars have nearly 300 touches to replace after Etienne's departure, and Tuten will play a role in that.

This is not to say Tuten will be the Jaguars' clear-cut No. 1 running back. The Jaguars might not even have a No. 1 running back considering the evenly-balanced depth the Jaguars have at the position between Tuten, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and LeQuint Allen. But the fact the Jaguars did not add a single draft pick at the position speaks to the confidence the Jaguars have in Tuten, who will be needed at one point or another for the offense to thrive.

Any of the running backs would have fit on this list, but Tuten feels like he stands out more than Allen and Rodriguez. Allen's place as the Jaguars' passing-down running back never seemed to be in doubt during the draft process, and Rodriguez was always going to have a notable role after the Jaguars paid him.

Tuten seemed like he had the most to win and lose, and he came out on the other side unscathed. We will see how the touches get divided, but Tuten's stock should be higher now than it was a few weeks ago when the Jaguars were rumored to be looking to add to running back.

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