James Gladstone Has Plenty to Prove in 2026 NFL Draft

James Gladstone was the final piece of the puzzle in the Jacksonville Jaguars' systemic overhaul last year. They had already promoted Tony Boselli to vice president of football operations and hired Liam Coen, Anthony Campanile, and Grant Udinski to the coaching staff by the time their new general manager rolled into town.

That organizational shift paid off handsomely for the Jaguars, to the tune of 13 wins, a division title, and a return to the playoffs. While Gladstone's first season in Jacksonville was a resounding success for the team, his vision has yet to be fulfilled. Only a few of the key players for the Jaguars in 2025 were Gladstone's additions.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL Draft, General Manager James Gladstone, Travis Hunter Jr. — The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, left, answers questions during a press conference Friday, March 25, 2025 at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. with General Manager James Gladstone, right. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

James Gladstone has to have a good draft in 2026

Credit where credit is due, General Manager James Gladstone had some hits for the Jacksonville Jaguars in his first year at the helm. Trading for Jakobi Meyers midseason likely saved the offense. At the very least, it dramatically improved the team's passing attack and gave Trevor Lawrence a dependable target over the middle. Gladstone also identified a handful of valuable contributors last free agency. Jourdan Lewis, Eric Murray, Robert Hainsey, and Patrick Mekari were all upgrades at their respective positions from the previous Jaguars who held their spots.

However, Gladstone has had his fair share of misfires, too. Dyami Brown and Chuma Edoga did little to add to the team last year. Trading for Tim Patrick didn't move the needle at all. The Jaguars also acquired Khalen Saunders in the preseason just to cut him before the end of the campaign. Gladstone's biggest blemish, though, has to be the draft. Jacksonville added nine rookies this past season. Practically none of them made a real impact in their first year. A few, like Bhayshul Tuten, showed some promise, but the rest were either figuratively invisible or literally unavailable for the majority of the season.

Jaguars HC Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone to skip the NFL combine (other staff will be there)

Along with this, the Jags plan to once again forgo using any in person “Top 30 Visits” with prospective players to avoid bias pic.twitter.com/8f5KVudmUQ
— SleeperJaguars (@SleeperJaguars) February 22, 2026

That includes Travis Hunter Jr., for whom Gladstone traded away an additional first-round pick to move up and draft. The Jaguars justified the price they paid to select him by selling him as a future star at both cornerback and wide receiver. After he went down with a season-ending knee injury, his two-way prospects were thrown into question. The team has since confirmed that he'll be shifting his focus to defense next season, which only poured salt into the wound.

Now, Gladstone has to sand down the remaining impurities within this roster. Not only do the Jaguars face an uphill climb for improvement, but they also have to ward off potential regression. Several of their key players are hitting free agency this offseason, including Devin Lloyd, Travis Etienne Jr., and Montaric Brown.

Jacksonville won't have the cap space to re-sign all of them, if any, nor will it have the cash to add coveted talent on the open market. That makes it all the more imperative that Gladstone nails this upcoming draft. The fact that he already traded away his first-round pick and won't be attending the combine only adds more pressure.

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