One Bold Way the Jaguars Could Sneak Back Into the First-Round

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- As things stand today, it seems fair to reason that the Jaguars will not get back into the 2026 NFL Draft's first-round.

The Jaguars do not pick until No. 56 in this month's draft, a result of them trading their 2026 first-round pick (No. 24) to the Cleveland Browns as part of the Travis Hunter trade.

It does not appear that waiting until No. 56 to make a pick matters much to James Gladstone and Liam Coen. They seem to be content if that is the case, and their history with the Los Angeles Rams back it up.

But if the Jaguars do want to make a bold move for the second year in a row and get back into the 2nd-round, here is one way they can do it without giving up a first-round pick.

Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone, left and head coach Liam Coen joked when asked how Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli effects their draft picks during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ annual pre-draft luncheon press conference in the media room at the Miller Electric Center Thursday April 9, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One Trade Scenario

As things stand today, the Jaguars have 11 picks in the draft: one in the 2nd, three in the 3rd, one in the 4th, two in the 5th, one in the 6th, and three in the 7th. They are also projected to have 10 picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, with extra picks in the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds.

That gives the Jaguars a lot of room to work with. It does stand to reason to not throw the 2027 first-round pick out of the window, even if I would personally make it off limits. Gladstone knows from the Rams days that drafts can be productive withoput first-ro

Mar 30, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It is also worth pointing out that a trade up may not be solely because of the Jaguars trusting their evaluations, a frequent pitfall in draft trades. There is real value in the fifth-year option that is attached to first-round picks.

For this scenario, I think the Jaguars need to look at which teams are the most desperate for draft capital. In the first-round, that stands to reason to be the Seattle Seahawks at No. 32. As of today, the Seahawks only four picks in the entire draft, making them an easy match to move up to -- just not from No. 56.

To start, I think it would be fair for the Jaguars to split the difference of the distance between No. 32 and No. 56. One team in this range that would make sense is the New York Jets at No. 44. The Jets obviously have a ton of draft picks, but they lack a third-round pick and will have to wait until No. 103 to make a pick again after No. 44.

With the Jaguars having three third-round picks, they can take advantage here. Using the Rich Hill trade value chart, the Jaguars would get good value here by trading No. 56 and No. 100 for No. 44. If the Jets want a sweetener, the Jaguars could throw in pick No. 203. So ...

The Jaguars at this point would still have nine picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including two third-round picks, and 10 projected picks for the 2027 NFL Draft. The trick would then be to get from No. 32 to No. 44.

There isn't much history of teams trading back into the 2nd from No. 32 in recent years outside of the Buffalo Bills moving one spot to No. 33. But in 2019, the Los Angeles Rams traded the No. 31 and No. 203 picks to the Atlanta Falcons for No. 44 and No. 79. This is just one spot difference from the Jaguars and Seahawks' current standing.

With the Seahawks having just four picks, I would offer No. 44 and pick No. 88 in exchange for No. 32, a fairly even trade by the Rich Hill chart.

So after this scenario, the Jaguars would have...

The No. 32 pick (1st)

No. 81 pick (3rd)

No. 124 pick (4th)

No. 164 and No. 166 picks (5th)

No. 230, No. 240 and No. 245 picks (7th)

10 picks in 2027 NFL Draft

So, there you go. There is my projection for how the Jaguars can go from No. 56 to No. 32, all while still having a ton of draft flexibility. This is of course just one hypothetical, but the numbers work out in the Jaguars' favor.