Analyst selects surprising position Jaguars 'must nail' in NFL draft

Nick Shook of NFL.com selected the one draft goal that each team "must nail." If I were making this selection for the Jacksonville Jaguars, I would say that the team must improve their pass rush depth.

While the Jaguars boasted the NFL's stingiest run defense last season, Jacksonville ranked 18th in pressure rate and 27th in sacks. The interior defensive line, in particular, especially down the stretch in 2025, struggled to get after the quarterback consistently.

Shook, however, would go in a different direction. A very different one.

He selected running back as the Jaguars' "biggest draft goal."

"Travis Etienne left for New Orleans in the offseason, and the Jaguars filled the depth chart void with Chris Rodriguez Jr., leaving Bhayshul Tuten as a player who is suddenly important at work in 2026," Shook wrote. "Hopefully, Tuten capitalizes on the opportunity, but the Jaguars can't afford to lean on him that heavily in a season with great expectations. They should target another back on Day 2."

With Etienne leaving in free agency, I can understand that there is now some uncertainty at running back. The run game is also an area on this Jaguars' team that has to improve, after struggling to steadily produce during the second half of the season -- although the offensive line play was a big factor in that.

That said, it's not as if the Jaguars were unprepared for Etienne's departure either. James Gladstone drafted Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen just last April, and he signed Chris Rodriguez, who Jacksonville is quite bullish on.

Will any of these backs have the individual production that Etienne did? That remains to be seen. But as a trio, they could recreate his production and then some.

So, if you ask me, there are more pressing needs for the Jaguars than running back.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Top priority for Jaguars not what you'd think, says analyst