Jaguars enter the 2026 NFL draft with 11 picks and a focus on defense, targeting DL, edge and LB while potentially mirroring their 2023 defense-heavy draft strategy.
It has been theorized this offseason the Jacksonville Jaguars will focus on the defensive side of the ball in the upcoming NFL draft.
Heading into the 2026 season, the consensus has been the Jaguars’ needs are at defensive tackle, edge-rusher and linebacker. Although general manager James Gladstone does not have a first-round pick to work with after trading for the No. 2 overall pick in 2025 to draft Travis Hunter, he does have 11 total selections in a draft that is deep with defensive talent.
Gladstone’s Draft History
With just one draft under his belt, it is too early to put a final grade on Gladstone’s 2025 class, especially on defense. Along with the speculation of Hunter’s defensive versus offensive snap counts this next season, after his rookie year ended with a non-contact right knee injury, only three of the four defenders Gladstone drafted remain on the roster.
Third-round safety Caleb Ransaw missed the entire season after suffering a foot injury in training camp, but linebacker Jack Kiser (fourth round) and safety Rayuan Lane III (sixth round) contributed to a Jacksonville defense that finished in the top 12 last season.
Kiser played in 14 games and registered 14 total tackles, and Lane played in 17 games finishing with 20 total tackles, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss. A healthy Ransaw and Lane’s continued development give the secondary even more depth in 2026.
Taking a Similar Path
With the needs of the team and the number of picks currently available, Gladstone might look to the Jaguars’ 2023 draft as a blueprint for this year.
In 2023, Jacksonville made 13 total draft picks, with eight focusing on defense. Not only did the Jaguars select eight defensive players, four of those players -- linebackers Ventrell Miller (fourth round) and Yasir Abdullah (fifth round), and defensive backs Antonio Johnson (fifth round) and Christian Braswell (sixth round) -- will either start or see significant time in defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s defense.
Miller and Johnson have been the most productive from the 2023 draft. Miller, who is expected to step into a starting role with the departure of Devin Lloyd in free agency, has 118 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one interception in his career. Johnson has already racked up seven interceptions in his short career.
Despite currently not having a first-round pick, the Jaguars do have four picks in the top 100 (Nos. 56, 81, 88, 100). Since 2021, not counting Hunter, Jacksonville has drafted a defensive player 14 times in the first four rounds of the draft, the most notable defensive end Travon Walker, who was taken No. 1 overall in 2022. While Walker has begun to live up to his potential, fellow 2022 pick defensive back Monteric Brown has become a leader of the secondary despite having come out of the ranks of the seventh round. Five current members of the defense were selected in the fifth round or later.
With seven picks in the final four rounds of this year’s draft, Gladstone is in a position to give Campanile the players he needs to keep the defense playing at a high level not only this year, but in years to come.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!