This Oregon Ducks star finally came off the board in the NFL Draft on Friday night.
The Oregon Ducks had two players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, with tight end Kenyon Sadiq going to the New York Jets at No. 16 and safety Dillon Thieneman landing with the Chicago Bears at No. 25.
Offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon was then expected to be an early second-round pick, and when Texas A&M's Chase Bisontis came off the board at No. 34, most anticipated that Pregnon — who had some first-round buzz during the offseason — would soon follow.
Instead, Pregnon fell all the way to the latter half of Round 3, where he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 88th overall pick.
The 6-foot-4, 314-pound Pregnon was viewed by most as one of the top offensive linemen in this year's draft class and finished ranked No. 1 amongst guards in both production score and total score by NFL.com following the Scouting Combine.
But clearly, professional teams did not perceive him like most thought.
Of course, Pregnon was still a Day 2 pick, but unfortunately for him, he went to a Jaguars squad where a starting job probably isn't going to surface for him in Year 1, barring injuries.
Emmanuel Pregnon. Credit: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Jacksonville was considered a team that could potentially look for some interior offensive line depth in this year's draft, but with the Jaguars not having had a first-round pick, it's somewhat surprising they decided to take a guard so early.
Perhaps they felt Pregnon was a great value pick at No. 88 considering that he was largely tabbed as a second-rounder in most mock drafts.
Pregnon certainly made a lot of stops throughout his collegiate career.
The Denver product began his NCAA tenure at Wyoming in 2020 and spent three seasons there before transferring to USC in 2023. After spending a pair of campaigns with the Trojans, Pregnon made his way to Oregon in 2025.
Pregnon proceeded to earn First-Team All-American honors during his lone season with the Ducks and also secured a First-Team All-Big Ten selection. He was Second-Team All-Big Ten in 2024, and back in 2022, he was a Freshman All-American.
Clearly, the 24-year-old enjoyed a decorated collegiate career, but because he plays a non-premium position, he wasn't wholly prioritized by NFL teams.
We'll see if Pregnon makes all of the teams who passed on him pay.
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