Jacksonville Jaguars feel 'volume' is theme of 2026 NFL Draft class

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - DECEMBER 20: Nate Boerkircher #87 of the Texas A&M Aggies runs after a catch in the first half against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2025 College Football Playoff First Round Game at Kyle Field on December 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 15: Nate Boerkircher #87 of the Texas A&M Aggies reacts after scoring a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the third quarter at Kyle Field on November 15, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Albert Regis of Texas A&M was the Jaguars' second pick, No. 88 overall, in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here he is seen against the Missouri Tigers in the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on November 08, 2025, in Columbia, Missouri.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 25: Defensive tackle Albert Regis #17 of the Texas A&M Aggies defends during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 25, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive lineman Albert Regis (DL26) runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Emmanuel Pregnon of the Oregon Ducks was the thurd pick by the Jaguars in the 2026 NFL Draft, No. 88 overall. Here he lines up against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Emmanuel Pregnon (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

EUGENE, OREGON - MARCH 17: Emmanuel Pregnon #75 of the Oregon Ducks looks on during Oregon Ducks Pro Day at the Moshofsky Center on March 17, 2026 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

Nate Boerkircher of Texas A&M was the No. 56 overall pick and first by the Jaguars in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here he participates in a drill during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2026, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

Nate Boerkircher of Texas A&M was the No. 56 overall pick and first by the Jaguars in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here he participates in a drill during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2026, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) celebrates a first down against the Miami Hurricanes during first quarter of the first round game of the CFP National Playoff at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - DECEMBER 20: Nate Boerkircher #87 of the Texas A&M Aggies runs after a catch in the first half against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2025 College Football Playoff First Round Game at Kyle Field on December 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 15: Nate Boerkircher #87 of the Texas A&M Aggies reacts after scoring a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the third quarter at Kyle Field on November 15, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

Albert Regis of Texas A&M was the Jaguars' second pick, No. 88 overall, in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here he is seen against the Missouri Tigers in the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on November 08, 2025, in Columbia, Missouri.

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 25: Defensive tackle Albert Regis #17 of the Texas A&M Aggies defends during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 25, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive lineman Albert Regis (DL26) runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

Emmanuel Pregnon of the Oregon Ducks was the thurd pick by the Jaguars in the 2026 NFL Draft, No. 88 overall. Here he lines up against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

Emmanuel Pregnon (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

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Jaguars go offense and defense with first two picks of NFL Draft

EUGENE, OREGON - MARCH 17: Emmanuel Pregnon #75 of the Oregon Ducks looks on during Oregon Ducks Pro Day at the Moshofsky Center on March 17, 2026 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

Jaguars UDFA tracker: Which undrafted free agents did Jacksonville add?

"A higher volume of draft capital was what we were seeking, knowing the more at bats you have, the better probability you'll have for successful selections, while at the same time you can have a few more misses than you do hits. But nonetheless, it was cool to lean into that as a part of this draft," Gladstone said when asked about volume being part of the calculus with this week's draft.

The Jaguars currently own 10 selections in the 2027 class, one that will — at least for now — include a first-round pick. In all, Gladstone says, it should give them team a healthy three-year run in terms of the volume of players added to the team's roster.

This year's draft played out, essentially, how Jacksonville expected it to. Volume became the theme and there was no secret plan overrule that barring something unforeseen occurring.

"It was a higher volume of draft capital and ensuring we could prioritize guys that match and align with what I've spoken a lot about, which are the intangible elements, elements that don't necessarily always lie on the surface but are beneath the hood, and I think it's very clear internally that we were able to do just that, and really excited about what lies in front," said Gladstone.

Jaguars predicted all 10 selections ahead of time, pundits make critiques

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla.

One interesting nugget to come out of Jacksonville this weekend was that the team's predictions came true.

Rather, Gladstone's did.

"I can say as a part of maybe the day before kickoff on Thursday, we ended up putting players in slots across all 11 picks and can, in fact, say that we were able to nail 10 of those 11, and we only made 10 selections," Gladstone said with a smirk.

"That was a pretty fun outcome, knowing that we were able to map it as cleanly as we were. I don't think that had anything to do with skill but maybe a little more luck than that. But that was a pretty exciting piece."

Jacksonville's draft has already been critiqued by pundits and other media NFL Draft analysts as including far too many reaches compared to what is known as the "consensus big board via WideLeft," a ranked list of players in the draft that includes averages of over 100 big boards made by media, fans and other analysts.

One example is Jacksonville's first selection at pick No. 56, tight end Nate Boerkircher, who was listed on the consensus board as the 163rd best player in this year's draft.

Still, the Jaguars trust their process, and to their credit correctly predicted what occured, would occur as far as it came to the NFL's bias toward the tight end position this year.

"Yeah, that was rooted in our own internal sentiment and understanding that the trend in the NFL was that heavier tight end sets was going to be something that got prioritized, and we felt certainly a heavier tight end run throughout the course of the back end of the second into the third, and typically that's a window where the wide receiver run is really occurring," Gladstone said Friday of Boerkircher's draft placement.

"I think that certainly showed itself. But he was the one we were hunting up, and we weren't going to allow that to ever be something that we risked."

Boerkircher was the third tight end selected in this year's draft after Kenyon Sadiq (New York Jets, 16th-overall) and Eli Stowers (Philadelphia Eagles, 54th-overall). Following Jacksonville's selection, two other tight ends came off the board in Round 2, while two more were selected before Jacksonville got to their third-round selection, pick No. 81-overall.

Nine tight ends went off the board in the first three rounds, matching what occured in 2023.

The true evaluations will occur during the 2026 season, but there's reason to wait-and-see for a team who just won the AFC South in 2025, and appears to be following along with the rest of the league in the direction it's headed in.

Jaguars 2026 NFL Draft selections, results

The Jaguars addressed multiple position groups on both sides of the ball, including tight end, wide receiver, safety, defensive tackle, edge rusher and offensive line.

Round 2, Pick 56: TE Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) celebrates a first down against the Miami Hurricanes during first quarter of the first round game of the CFP National Playoff at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Mesurables: 6-foot-5, 245 pounds

Career stats: Played four years at Nebraska, appearing in 39 games (17 starts), catching 19 passes for 219 yards and one score. Transferred to Texas A&M in 2026, playing in 13 games, catching 19 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns.

Quoteable: "I think I'm a physical blocker. I like to put my face in the fan. I get in there and get physical and play through the whistle, and I think I have a lot of potential in the passing game. I've made big plays in my career. I haven't always had the most production, but when the ball comes my way, I usually have been able to capitalize.” - Boerkircher

Round 3, Pick 81: DT Albert Regis, Texas A&M

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 25: Defensive tackle Albert Regis #17 of the Texas A&M Aggies defends during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 25, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

Mesurables: 6-foot-1, 295 pounds

Career stats: Regis accounted for 116 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 10 pass breakups and one forced fumble in college.

Quoteable: "I view myself as a Swiss Army knife, honestly, coming from multiple positions in high school to the defense we played in, very gap sound. Whatever you ask of me, I'm always willing to get it done and just be the best that I can be for the team.” - Regis

Round 3, Pick 88: OL Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon

Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon, center, takes the field before the game against Oklahoma State at Autzen.

Mesurables: 6-foot-4, 314 pounds

Career stats: Played 52 games in college, including 12 games at right guard. Committed just one penalty in 2025 (false start vs. Washington).

Quoteable: “I would say a tireless work ethic, a relentless mentality, just an absolute dog mentality. Willing and ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win and succeed and just honestly dominate because that's the type of player I feel like I am is a dominator. I impose my will on others, whether they like it or not, and that's what I'm going be there to do.” - Pregnon

Round 3, Pick 100: DB Jalen Huskey, Maryland

Maryland Terrapins defensive back Jalen Huskey celebrates while running off the field after the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium.

Mesurables: 6-foot-1, 196 pounds

Career stats: Played two years at Bowling Green (21 games played), two years at Maryland (24 games). Totalled 176 tackles (113 solos), five tackles for loss, 11 interceptions, 10 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

Quoteable: “It's all about preparation, being a little slick with your hands and staying calm when the ball's in the air. I pride myself on when the ball is in the air that I believe the ball's mine and that nobody else should catch the ball unless it's me.” - Huskey on recording no penalties.

Round 4, Pick 119: EDGE Wesley Williams, Duke

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 06: Wesley Williams #97 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates after the 2025 ACC Football Championship against the Virginia Cavaliers at Bank of America Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)

Mesurables: 6-foot-3, 256 pounds

Career stats: 41 games played, 141 total tackles (54 solos), 29 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and four pass breakups.

Quoteable: “I think there's always a spot in a defense for someone who's going to be high effort, high motor, physical and that's really what I try to hang my hat on. I think you can't make any plays if you're not around the ball, so that's really the first thing I start with is just making sure that I'm around the ball to make plays. Obviously, I have to develop a deeper bag as I enter this professional level.” - Williams

Round 5, Pick 164: TE Tanner Koziol, Houston

Jan 29, 2026; Mobile, AL, USA; National tight end Tanner Koziol (88) of Houston practices during National Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Mesurables: 6-foot-6, 247 pounds

Career stats: Played three years at Ball State (36 games played), one season at Houston. Caught 237 passes, 2,234 and 24 touchdowns. Added 74 catches for 727 yards and six touchdowns.

Quoteable: “Obviously, what I do in the red zone and what I do in the pass game is very good. And for what I do, I can only get better at it. And then I really respect Coach Angulo—and senior ball, I really wanted to put on film that I could move people, that I want to be in the run game, that I'm very willing and I need to be coached up some more and I'm going to continue to work on that. And that's something that he saw in me as well. He saw the potential that I have in the run game and he trusts that he's a coach that could coach me up to get it done and continue to get better.” -

Round 6, Pick 191: WR Josh Cameron, Baylor

WACO, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 15: Josh Cameron #34 of the Baylor Bears reacts after catching a pass for a first down during the third quarter against the Utah Utes at McLane Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Mesurables: 6-foot-1, 220 pounds

Career stats: 53 games played at Baylor, caught 170 passes for 2,236 yards and 19 touchdowns. Averaged 14 yards per return on punts, including a Big 12-leading 20.7 YPR in 2024.

Quoteable: “Yeah, from me, you're going to get a physical tough receiver. Someone who likes to do the dirty work, someone who likes to do it all, and someone who is really, I guess you can say, a unicorn. I'm not your stereotypical receiver body type wise. But I think that works in my favor to where you can put and plug me into so many different positions. And I’m just that guy who can really do it all type deal. I bring my special teams ability as well. And so, I’m someone who can, like I said, do it all.” - Cameron

Round 6, Pick 203: WR CJ Williams, Stanford

Nov 22, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver CJ Williams (3) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter against the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Mesurables: 6-foot-1, 205 pounds

Career stats: Played 11 games for USC, 25 games for Wisconsin, 12 games for Stanford. Caught 94 passes for 1,179 yards and eight touchdowns in his career. Caught 59 passes for 749 yards and six scores in 2025.

Quoteable: “A competitive football player, a complete guy, right place, right time type of guy. I don't know if the staff is ever going to have to worry about me being in that playbook. Trevor's [QB Trevor Lawrence] never going to have to worry, or any of the quarterbacks for that matter, about me dropping balls consistently. I just want to be a complete guy that competes and adds to the room in whatever way possible." - Williams

Round 7, Pick 233: EDGE Zach Durfee, Washington

Nov 22, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) is pressured by Washington Huskies linebacker Zach Durfee (5) during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Mesurables: 6-foot-5, 258 pounds

Career stats: Played 17 games for Washington, played 17 games, totalling 53 tackles (24 solos), 6.5 sacks, three pass breakups and one forced fumble.

Quoteable: "Just know my best football's ahead of me. I don't like to be arrogant. I like to be a very humble man, but in this process I'm a team captain. I am one of the best locker room presences that you can get and I'm also a phenomenal football player and I'm just going to keep getting better and better. All I want to do is win and be a good man and teammate to those around me. I just want to win. So, for this opportunity to happen for me and my family, this is just incredible. I'm really emotional about it, but I'm going to give everything I have.”

Round 7, Pick 240: LB Parker Hughes, Middle Tennessee State

Middle Tennessee linebacker Parker Hughes (9), and Middle Tennessee quarterback Nicholas Vattiato (11) greet players as they take to the field for the coin toss before the start of the football game between Middle Tennessee and Missouri State on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at MTSU.

Mesurables: 6-foot-1, 225 pounds

Career stats: 46 games played, 252 total tackles (123 solos), 15.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and six pass breakups.

Quoteable: “Yeah, I go by physical, tough, intelligent, those three things. I'm a relentless player. I'm going to give you everything I’ve got every play. I’ve got that blue collar, chip on my shoulder mentality. I was a walk-on in college starting out and now I'm here, so hard work and keep going.” - Hughes

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at@Demetrius82 or on BlueskyatDemetrius.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars GM: 2026 NFL Draft features volume, alignment