Jaguars Putting Unique Draft Process on Display Once Again

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars do not approach the offseason process like many other teams.

That much was made clear last year when the Jaguars did not participate in top-30 visits, sending shockwaves to every angry and anonymous scout who has only done things one way. That shock eventually fell to the wayside, but the Jaguars are not changing their unique approach the process in 2026.

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

Jaguars' Process

The latest example of the Jaguars approaching the offseason with a different mindset than other franchises come from Vanderbilt's pro day. Vanderbilt noted there were 31 NFL teams at the pro day this week, and then released a graphic with 31 logos. Notable, the Jaguars were missing.

Ready for the next stage pic.twitter.com/D2d8I1gwcu
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) March 21, 2026

This doesn't mean the Jaguars are not paying close attention to Vanderbilt's prospects, such as tight end Eli Stowers. If this was the case, the Jaguars would not have spoken with Stowers at the NFL Scouting Combine last month.

It does mean, though, the Jaguars are not going to give away potential insights into players they are interested in. The Jaguars would not have gotten anything from the Pro Day they would not have gotten on film, from the combine, or from sources inside the Vanderbilt program.

Of course, the Jaguars have explained -- and explained, and explained -- their stances on pro days and top-30 visits before. As Gladstone said last year, there are other avenues they can explore to fulfill the scouting porocess.

“Yeah, some of those we like to keep in-house and private because we feel it's a version of a competitive advantage, while at the same time you can look towards the traditional metrics, ways of going about understanding who a person is from an intangible standpoint," Gladstone said.

Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"That is rooted in the film evaluation, some things that aren't necessarily related to a physical quality. Then you get into the sourced information from a player's past, whether it's college campus, hometown, et cetera. All those things begin to get weighted and serve as sort of our thresholds for whether or not they're somebody we feel like fits our mold.”

From pro days to top-30 visits to not having the Jaguars' brass at the combine, the Jaguars do things their own way. It is past time for people to get accustomed to it, because it does not appear to be changing anytime soon.

Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli and general manager James Gladstone look on after the game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

“I think there's a lot of layers to not doing those facility visits that you all are accustomed to, top 30 visits as they're phrased. It goes back a while in my experience," Gladstone said last year.

"Let's take it this direction: the implicit bias that can come to life this late in the process, the last player you might sit down with, and how that might differ from the first player you sit down with knowing it's closer to the decision that's upcoming. In addition to that, so much of the work that's done in preparation for these decisions starts years in advance. The sourced intel from those who have lived with these individuals is likely to be more accurate than me sitting down with a prospect for a short period of time and attempting to dissect who that human being is."