The Jacksonville Jaguars boast a tremendous pass-rushing duo in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.

Both bring the best out of each other and want each other to be great. The combination of Hines-Allen and Walker has the potential to be one of the best in the league.

Unfortunately, it takes more than two edge rushers to have a dominant defensive line. The Jaguars' depth behind their two stars has been a cause for concern heading into the upcoming season.

However, Jacksonville believes 2026 fourth-round pick Wesley Williams is poised to make a big impact, even as a rookie.

Jaguars' defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is very high on the potential immediate impact Williams can make on the defense. The Jags showed how highly they thought of Williams when they traded up to pick 119 to draft him.

Campanile specifically mentioned Williams' play style and character as two of his top attributes.

"I think I said this during the draft, but his play style and we really tried to lean into that with all these guys that we took, but Wesley is a guy (who's) going to run around all day," defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said on Monday. "He's not a guy that you're going to find a clip of him taking a play off. He's just a high-character, tough kid. He's been pretty quick on the uptake. So, that's been exciting about him."

Perhaps Williams' most attractive quality is being a very well-rounded edge rusher. In addition to the 11 sacks he racked up over his career at Duke, Williams also recorded 131 total tackles and blocked five kicks, and was named a team captain in 2025. With a PFF run-defense grade of 78.1, Williams ranked 119th of 852 qualified edge rushers in the country.

Williams boasts a skill set that allows him to be on the field on all three downs. Campanile agrees, stating,

"I think Wes has some rush ability and is really an every-down player. He's not just a specific, hey, this guy's a pass rusher, this guy's a plugger in the run game. To me, he's an every-down player, and he's a young guy relative to a lot of the guys who are in this draft. So, I really feel like he's only going to get better."

Williams certainly has the confidence of his coaching staff heading into his rookie year. Though the Jaguars' top two edge rushers are set with Hines-Allen and Walker, Williams will have an opportunity to see significant snaps in 2026, competing with the likes of BJ Green, Danny Striggow, and Zach Durfee.

The Jaguars believe they found a diamond-in-the-rough with Williams. At minimum, he will be a key rotational piece in 2026. If either Walker or Hines-Allen goes down with an injury, Jacksonville is confident that Williams can step into a larger role.

Fourth-round picks are usually not expected to come in and make a big impact as rookies. To hear Campanile speak so glowingly of Williams shows that the Jaguars really think they added a terrific player to their defense.

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