Jaguars NFL Draft Mailbag 3.0: Addressing Ups and Downs of Gladstone's Haul

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars put the finishing touches on their latest rookie class over the weekend, and there have certainly been some takes on the haul.

The Jaguars' newest crop of draft picks all certainly seem to align with the Jaguars' needs and what the franchise has prioritized under general manager James Gladstone, but that has not shieled it from some negativity.

james gladston — Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But how much of that negativity is actually warranted, and where do the Jaguars go from here? We answer these questions and more in this week's draft mailbag.

Will/should the jags add competition at Corner, Edge, and LB?

Who are some names to watch?
— Jaguars Now (@JaguarsNow904) April 27, 2026

A: They should, and I do think it is certainly a possibility considering how the Jaguars operated at the end of the draft last year. Names I think make sense: A.J. Epenesa makes a lot of sense I think. Other names are Matt Milano, Joey Bosa, Marcus Davenport, Bobby Okereke, Elandon Roberts, Rasul Douglas, and Martin Emmerson. These are names that I think fit the needs, scheme, and the tier of player the Jaguars will need to add.

Will the Jaguars add to all three positions? I am not sure. I do think they add to at least one of them though, at least based on their post-draft urgency a year ago.

How much will Travon Walker play on the inside this season?
— Rupert Pupkin (@PineBarrens1985) April 27, 2026

A: I think there will be instances where the Jaguars put him inside on passing downs, letting likely Dennis Gardeck or Danny Striggow rush off the edge across from Josh Hines-Allen. I do not think it will be anything more than a handful of snaps a game, though, and certainly do not think he will ever play inside. His value as an edge defender comes in his mismatches vs. tackles and tight ends in the running game.

Veteran edges you think would be a good fit for jags?
— ? (@JagsVoice) April 27, 2026

A: I mentioned a few names above, and think some other names to consider could be Leonard Floyd, Kyle Van Noy and even Dante Fowler. Really!

Which player from this draft class do you think will make the most impact this coming season and why?
— R Huw Jones (@R_HuwJones) April 27, 2026

A: While I believe that Emmanuel Pregnon is far and away the best player the Jaguars drafted over the course of the weekend, I am not sure he gets a chance to be a full-time starter right off the bat. Until that happens, I think the player with the easiest path to making a Year 1 impact is tight end Nate Boerkircher.

Like the rest of the draft class, it certainly does not seem like Boerkirsher will start for the Jaguars considering they already have Brenton Strange. But he should be the first-man up in 12 and 13 personnel looks, and the Jaguars have already come out and said that they are preparing to transition to more and more of those formations moving forward.

A sub 300 lb NT sounds absurd on the NFL level. Was Regis actually drafted to play nose? Or, perhaps he will play 3T? Or are the Jags sneakily contemplating a change to a 3-4 (again)?
— Jeff Tice (@JeffTiceJax) April 27, 2026

A: Yes, he was drafted to play nose. He actually played closer to 315-230 for the Aggies, and that is where I suspect he will play for the Jaguars. He lost weight for the draft process, which seemed to work in his favor considering his combine performance and his draft slot. Albert Regis is clearly the Jaguars' backup nose tackle as of today.

Which UDFA is the biggest wildcard to make the roster? I think they’ll keep 1 of these guys on the main roster. Key word being wildcard.

Thanks for all the coverage during the year - T
— T (@TherealTunit96) April 27, 2026

A: I think the Jaguars landed a number if interesting undrafted free agents. I think North Carolina State cornerback Devon Marshall has the best chance to crack the Jaguars' roster, but there could be some interesting battles at receiver and defensive tackle as well. jack

Of course the draft matters, but as long as Trevor and Liam are as good as they showed they can be, don’t we go as far as they take us? Roster wasn’t exactly barren
— Jonathan Templeton (@tempdawg13) April 27, 2026

A: As you indicated, it is never quite that simple or that black and white. I do think Liam Coen is the most important piece to the puzzle, though, just like Sean McVay is for the Rams and Kyle Shanahan is for the 49ers. As long as Coen is leading the charge, the Jaguars have an edge. That is not to say the draft is not critical, but Coen and Lawrence can each cover up quite a bit.

Also what is our depth at LB? The drop off from Foye and Miller (who I don’t fully trust) to Combs and Kiser is massive. Heaven forbid any starter on defense gets hurt.
— TheJagBros (@TheJagBros) April 27, 2026

A: This is a very fair question. Not many teams these days are two-deep at linebacker, but this depth is exactly why I think the Jaguars should look into adding to the position over the course of the next few weeks.

What’s left for the Jaguars to do from now until training camp?
— Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 🌴 (@MrEd315) April 27, 2026

A: If I am the Jaguars, I am still looking for more depth at three positions on defense: defensive end, linebacker, and cornerback. The Jaguars' backup defensive end depth is made up of two second-year players and two rookies, so another veteran who can make an impact off the bat would make sense. The Jaguars' depth at linebacker is .... questionable, and the Jaguars could easily add a backup linebacker. As for cornerback, the Jaguars would be wise to consider having six cornerbacks on the roster since Travis Hunter will play some offense.

Do you think they were angry or caught off guard with New England jumping them for Jacas, and if so, do you think there was any amount of panic at play with the Boerkircher pick?
— Jaxson De Ville (@JaxonDeVille) April 28, 2026

A: My gut take? No. I think the Jaguars entered the day with a different name at mind at No. 56 than Boerkircher, though I believe Boerkircher was still a top option. I think that player got selected sometime earlier in Round 2, though. My pure guess, and this is with no other information, is that the Jaguars would have drafted Boerkircher over Gabe Jacas at No. 56.

The Jaguars would likely argue that a tight end who changes their running game and lets them play more 12 and 13 personnel could make a bigger impact than a third edge. Whether that is true or not can be debated, but no I do not think that trade ended up mattering much for the Jaguars.

Does our defense take a step back with the new linebacker group and defensive tackle additions?
— Seth Carter (@SethCarter22) April 28, 2026

A: Honestly, I think the Jaguars are better at defensive tackle now than they were a year ago. Did they do as much as fans wanted? Probably not, but I consider Albert Regis to be a higher-ceiling option than Austin Johnson was a year ago, and he should be able to make an impact as a rotational run defender early on. And then when it comes to Ruke Orhorhoro. he is a few levels above Maason Smith as a pass-rusher.

As for linebacker, it depends on what your evaluation of Devin Lloyd last year was. For my money, his biggest value came in the form of turnovers and his value as a blitzer. I do not think Ventrell Miller can be a similar blitzer, but the turnovers are not something that can be counted on year in and year out. In the other aspects of lineabcker play, I think Miller can be on par with Lloyd.

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