Jaguars Rookie Report: Who Is Rising (and Falling) on the Depth Chart?

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie class has been busy through the first three days of training camp as they can look for their place on the roster. It is early in camp, but plenty of impressions have been made.
In fact, the Jaguars' rookie class has been able to pick up some momentum in each day of training camp so far, starting with Day 1 on Wednesday. But through the very early days of training camp, where do we see each draft pick in terms of their spot on the depth chart? We take a look at the risers, the falls, and those who are still in neutral.
TE Nate Boerkircher

Neutral
I came into training camp thinking that Nate Boerkircher would be the Jaguars' No. 2 tight end this year, and nothing over the first three days has really moved me off that opinion. I will say that Boerkircher has seemingly shared some split of his reps with Tanner Koziol at a higher rate than I expected, but otherwise I think Boerkircher's spot has remain untoughed when you consider the pre-training camp expectations.
DL Albert Regis

Neutral
There is not a ton to say in terms of defensive linemen this early in training camp, but I will say that nothing has moved me from my stance that Albert Regis is set to play the role as the No. 2 nose tackle this season. The Jaguars' defense has generally done well when Regis has been on the field, though. At least in terms of run defense they have.
OL Emmanuel Pregnon

Neutral
I did not come into training camp thinking that Emmanuel Pregnon was going to be much of a factor when it came to the starting left guard spot. If you did think that, though, you could call him a faller because it seems clear right now that he is set to be Ezra Cleveland's backup at the left guard spot. He has a bright future, but it is veyr early.
DB Jalen Huskey

Falling
Jalen Huskey has stood out in terms of his range in coverage over the first few days, and it has put him in position to nearly make a few big plays. It feels like it is just sooner or later when it comes to him making a massive play in coverage, but he is still clearly behind the Jaguars' four veterans at safety. He will probably have to bide his time as a rookie.
DE Wesley Williams

Falling
Wesley Williams has actually impressed at times throughout the first three days of training camp, but I do not think we can say he is a riser when you consider how impressive the veteran defensive end depth has been. With the way the Jaguars' top backups have played behind the starting duo of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, Williams seems destined for the third-team spot.
TE Tanner Koziol:

Rising
One of the biggest surprises to me from Jaguars training camp so far has been the usage of Tanner Koziol. I really do believe that we will not be able to get a great idea for what his role can really look like until we see him block with pads on, but the Jaguars have seemed to throw a ton on his plate early on in training camp. He has responded, too, making a highlight catch on Thursday and hauling in a touchdown on Friday.

Rising
Josh Cameron has had an infectious start to training camp. The sixth-round receiver began to make plays in practice as soon as he got healthy during the offseason program, and it has carried over to training camp. Not only has Cameron been able to make plays downfield in the passing game, but he has also drawn several defensive pass interference calls in coverage through three days.
“That's a huge thing about the PIs. Like I remember, you look at some of these outside receivers specifically, the physical ones. I mean, when you can draw PIs, I mean, that's an explosive pass. That's what that is," Liam Coen said after practice on Friday.
"So, I mean, guys get paid off of those things. Like if they have like eight DPIs, I mean, that just adds to it, right? And that, and we look at it the same way. He's so strong. I mean, 223 pounds or whatever he is, 225 pounds, wants to do some of the dirty work and, wants to block. He takes pride in that. I think the quarterbacks have trusted him so far to be able to kind of put the ball up, whether it's, hey, let him go try to get it a little bit, or man, let's try to go put it up back shoulder and let him go be physical and use his skillset."
WR CJ Williams

Rising
In one way, it is fair to say that CJ Williams (like Josh Cameron) is not going to be a starter anytime soon at the wide receiver position since the Jaguars have Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, and Parjer Washington. But like Cameron, Williams has impressed at each step since he was drafted and there is no scenario that we can see where he is not one of the top-six receivers on the depth chart. It feels like the Jaguars are confident he could make plays if they ever needed him to.
DE Zach Durfee

Neutral
Like I mentioned with Wesley Williams, I do not have Zach Durfee as a riser because, for as impressive as he has been, the Jaguars' seventh-rounder is still clearly going to have to fight for snaps behind guys like Danny Striggow and B.J. Green. Both of the second-year veteran defensive ends have made some big plays in camp so far and look like the clear top options behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. With that said, Durfee has impressed as well, recording stops as a pass-rusher and vs. the run. It will be interesting to see him with pads on.
LB Parker Hughes

Rising
It is hard to see Parker Hughes as anything but a riser, but that of course is in the context of Jack Kiser's injury at the linebacker position earlier this week. As a result, the Jaguars are relatively light on bodies at linebacker and Hughes has seemingly become the top backup at middle linebacker behind Foyesade Oluokun, a spot he did not hold entering training camp. Hughes has made a few plays in coverage as well, and we know how much they value that in their defensive scheme.

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.
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