Jaguars remaining 'agile' says Gladstone as Round 1 begins

Early on Thursday, there was a report that the Jacksonville Jaguars were "exploring" opportunities to trade into the first round.

Prior to the 2026 NFL draft beginning, GM James Gladstone acknowledged that there could be some movement on the back end of Round 1, with some teams picking in that area looking to move back.

"You never know when things are going to pop off, so to speak," Gladstone said, "and you here the buzz around the windows, especially in the first round that it might get hot or it might be cold and I think it's going to be energized at the start, could see a healthy lull there in the middle, and a lot of teams there on the back end seem to be taking some phone calls."

So have the Jaguars been making calls?

"Certainly doing our part to at least engage, and whatever path may lie in front of us and what avenues those could look like," Gladstone said.

It would take a lot to trade up from pick 56 into the back end of Round 1. Using the Rich Hill trade value chart as our guide, the Jaguars would have to part with pick 56, 81, 124, and 166.

That said, the Jaguars have their share of draft capital, with 11 picks this year, along with potentially double-digit picks in 2027.

The uncertainty that exists around what the Jaguars might do is exactly what Gladstone wants to create. When operating under the radar, perhaps there are advantages that could come with that for Jacksonville.

If the Jaguars do hang tight at pick 56, this won't be the first time that Gladstone has had to wait a long time to make his first pick. He experienced that on a few occasions while with the Rams.

"It plays a significant role," Gladstone said of his experience with not having a first-round pick. "That time on task, so to speak, is going to be a heavy piece to the puzzle here. Looking forward to the collaboration that we've been able to do and see that picture sort of paint itself in real time and remain agile knowing that as it stands right now, we got a map of what it could look like, but knowing we gotta stay on our feet and be able to react in a way that's going to make this team better moving into next year and beyond."