Jaguars Mock Draft Roundup: Favorites for No. 56 include Gracen Halton

NORMAN, OKLAHOMA - SEPTEMBER 20: Defensive tackle Gracen Halton #56 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after sacking quarterback Jackson Arnold of the Auburn Tigers for a loss of four yards to the four yard line late in the fourth quarter at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 20, 2025 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma won 24-17. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) | Getty Images

With just a week and change until the Las Vegas Raiders go on the clock to start the 2026 NFL Draft, now’s a good time to check in on popular mock fits for the Jacksonville Jaguars at pick No. 56 and beyond.

Though the Jags don’t own a first-rounder this year due to the Travis Hunter trade, other moves have been made to acquire a total of 11 draft picks, including four between Nos. 50 and 100.

• Round 2: No. 56
• Round 3: Nos. 81, 88, 100
• Round 4: No. 124
• Round 5: Nos. 164, 166
• Round 6: No. 203
• Round 7: Nos. 233, 240, 245

Stay up to date on Jacksonville’s draft picks and more at our 2026 offseason home page.

From Dane Brugler of The Athletic (March 4th): Arizona State CB Keith Abney II

From Jeff Howe of The Athletic (March 19th): Michigan EDGE Derrick Moore

The Jaguars need more players who can close out games on defense. The 6-3, 260-pounder would get plenty of rotation behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker — who is entering the final year of his rookie contract — and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile should be able to get all three on the field together in certain packages. Moore had 21 sacks in four seasons at Michigan, including a career-high 10 last season.

From Field Yates of ESPN (March 24th): Auburn EDGE Keyron Crawford

Jacksonville can use its first selection of the 2026 draft on pass-rushing depth, as Crawford brings some serious juice. He played just one year of high school football before joining Arkansas State, so he is still coming into his own as a player. Crawford is electric turning the corner on offensive tackles and was more impactful than Keldric Faulk for Auburn in 2025.

From Josh Edwards of CBS Sports (March 26th): Iowa State DL Domonique Orange

Jacksonville adds some mass to the defensive interior with the selection of ‘Big Citrus’; a fitting addition for the team from Florida.

From Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports (March 30th):

• No. 56: Alabama LB Deontae Lawson
• No. 81: Missouri DL Chris McClellan
• No. 88: Arizona S Genesis Smith
• No. 100: Mississippi State WR Brenen Thompson

From Matt Miller of ESPN (March 30th):

• No. 56: Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez

Jacksonville needs a playmaking middle linebacker, and that’s what Rodriguez does. He had four interceptions in 2025 and finished his college career with 13 forced fumbles. He’s a heady, downhill player who captained the Texas Tech defense and is ready to be a green-dot linebacker in the NFL.

• No. 81: TCU S Bud Clark

Replacing Andrew Wingard is key for a defense that thrived on big plays and timely takeaways last season. The 6-foot-1 Clark is a center fielder with 4.41 speed and 15 career interceptions.

• No. 88: Iowa CB TJ Hall

Hall doesn’t boast elite speed, but his timing and ability to win at the line of scrimmage with press technique make him a starting-caliber outside corner who would allow Travis Hunter alignment flexibility.

• No. 100: Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson

Now that Travis Etienne Jr. is in New Orleans, the Jaguars could add another back. Johnson is more of a bruiser than Etienne and can be Jacksonville’s between-the-tackles option.

• No. 124: Baylor WR Josh Cameron
• No. 164: Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton
• No. 166: Oregon OT Alex Harkey
• No. 203: Texas G DJ Campbell
• No. 233: Toledo CV Avery Smith
• No. 240: Illinois DT James Thompson Jr.
• No. 245: Texas A&M G Ar’maj Reed-Adams

From Bruce Feldman of The Athletic (April 1st): Clemson DT Peter Woods

Projected trade: Jacksonville receives pick No. 30; Miami receives picks Nos. 56 and 203

With Miami grabbing Delane earlier in the draft, the Dolphins can address their need for a receiver here, but there’s not one worth a late first-round pick, so they deal with Jacksonville, which needs a defensive tackle. The 6-2, 300-pound Woods is an extremely powerful, big athlete who some coaches at Clemson thought would be a top-five pick when he finished his career.

From Josh Edwards of CBS Sports (April 2nd):

• No. 56: Iowa State DL Domonique Orange
• No. 81: Tennessee EDGE Joshua Josephs
• No. 88: USC S Kamari Ramsey
• No. 100: Iowa IOL Logan Jones
• No. 124: Kentucky WR Kendrick Law
• No. 164: Florida EDGE Tyreak Sapp
• No. 166: Utah TE Dallen Bentley
• No. 203: Clemson QB Cade Klubnik
• No. 233: Wake Forest DL Jayden Loving
• No. 240: Notre Dame OT Aamil Wagner
• No. 245: Indiana RB Kaelon Black

From Yates/Miller/Mel Kiper Jr./Jordan Reid of ESPN (April 2nd):

• No. 56: Missouri LB Josiah Trotter

A tone-setter at linebacker, Trotter would help Jacksonville fill the vacancy created by Devin Lloyd’s departure in free agency. He had 183 tackles over the past two seasons.

• No. 81: Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton

Here’s a buzzy name: Halton has risen boards since running a 4.82-second 40 at the combine at 293 pounds. He had 10.5 tackles for loss and 16 run stops last season and could plug the middle in Jacksonville.

• No. 88: Mississippi State WR Brenen Thompson

I fully expect general manager James Gladstone to be a value-over-needs drafter. And Thompson is electric, leading the SEC with 1,054 receiving yards in 2025 and running a 4.26 40 at the combine.

• No. 100: Arizona S Genesis Smith

This is another value pick for Jacksonville, which lands a player whose range and ball skills really show up on tape. Nice way to cap off Day 2.

From Chad Reuter of NFL.com (April 3rd):

• No. 56: Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny
• No. 81: Ohio State TE Max Klare
• No. 88: Pittsburgh LB Kyle Louis
• No. 100: Washington CB Tacario Davis
• No. 124: Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton
• No. 164: Texas Tech WR Caleb Douglas
• No. 166: LSU EDGE Patrick Payton

From Rob Rang of FOX Sports (April 4th): Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson

The Jaguars refuted offseason reports that 2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. was on the trade block. They can deal him here, however, and pounce on an opportunity to reset the position with arguably the most talented pass-catcher of this class. Jacksonville and Cleveland have recent trade history, of course, with the Jags boldly moving up in the 2025 draft to select Travis Hunter. This time, they add a dynamic playmaker to complement Hunter and ship another one who doesn’t appear to be in their long-term plans to a franchise desperate for talent at receiver. To complete this trade, Jacksonville would probably have to sweeten the deal with a couple of its 11 draft picks, including three selections in the third round.

From Kyle Crabbs of A to Z Sports (April 4th):

• No. 56: Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton
• No. 81: Penn State S Zakee Wheatley
• No. 88: Auburn IOL Connor Lew
• No. 100: Washington RB Jonah Coleman

From Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic (April 6th):

• No. 56: Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
• No. 81: Duke CB Chandler Rivers
• No. 88: Arizona State LB Keyshaun Elliott
• No. 100: Michigan EDGE Jaishawn Barham

From Josh Edwards of CBS Sports (April 9th): Southeastern Louisiana DT Kaleb Proctor

The second round may be too rich for Proctor, but he is rising up the board. There has been a report going around indicating that Proctor stacks up favorably in analytics within the Rams organization. The Jaguars’ leadership has roots in Los Angeles, and Proctor is the type of interior defender the Rams have collected in the past.

From Rob Rang of FOX Sports (April 13th): Mississippi DT Zxavian Harris

The Jaguars boast three former top-10 picks on their defensive line in Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen and Arik Armstead and yet still ranked just 27th last year in sacks. At a massive 6-foot-8, 330 pounds, Harris won’t be running down many quarterbacks himself, but he can collapse the pocket, cloud passing lanes and block kicks, drawing multiple blockers and freeing up teammates to make splashy plays. With their first pick of the 2026 draft not coming until No. 56 overall, the Jaguars should be looking for potential difference-makers, and Harris could be precisely that.

From Mike Renner of CBS Sports (April 13th):

• No. 56: Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton
• No. 81: Stanford TE Sam Roush
• No. 88: LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
• No. 100: North Dakota State WR Bryce Lance

My main observation from this list is that linebacker isn’t as critical a need as the outside world seems to think. After Devin Lloyd departed for the Carolina Panthers in free agency, Jacksonville does have a starting spot next to Foye Oluokun to fill, but third-year pro Ventrell Miller has a running start against any rookie who is added to the competition. And the team could always sign a veteran like Bobby Okereke or Elandon Roberts after the draft. Jacksonville should certainly draft a linebacker this year — they just don’t need to rush to do so.

My favorite name listed above is Auburn EDGE Keyron Crawford. Despite being a work in progress, having only started playing football five years ago, he was more productive than his Tiger teammate and projected first-round pick, Keldric Faulk. And his lack of size/length isn’t a significant issue for a Jaguars roster that already starts two giants along the edge. Crawford has the twitch and bend you’d like to see in a developmental EDGE prospect, and his competitive toughness and positional versatility should stand out to Jaguars brass.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!