Jaguars leadership will skip the combine, prioritizing deeper player evaluations over flashy drills for critical draft decisions.
The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine begins on Monday and continues through March 2. Also known as the “Underwear Olympics,” NFL teams will descend on Downtown Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium to witness, in human form, the greatest dog-and-pony show on the sports calendar.
Nearly 320 prospects received invitations to attend what is one of the last opportunities to meet with NFL teams, and showcase their football skills on the field and their communication skills in the meeting rooms before the draft in April. Players who opt not to attend the combine can still display their skills at their individual pro days.
Texas A&M has the most invitees with 13, followed by Alabama (12), Ohio State and LSU (both with 11), and Georgia, Miami and Oklahoma with 10 each.
How to Watch the 2026 NFL Combine
NFL Network Viewing Schedule (ET):
- Thursday, Feb. 26, 3 p.m.: Defensive Linemen and Linebackers
- Friday, Feb. 27, 3 p.m.: Defensive Backs and Tight Ends
- Saturday, Feb. 28, 1 p.m.: Quarterbacks, Receivers and Running Backs
- Sunday, March 1, 1 p.m.: Offensive Linemen
The Jacksonville Jaguars, fresh off a 13-4 season and a playoff appearance, will approach this year’s combine a little differently than they did in 2025.
In 2025, the Jaguars had finished 4-13 in 2024, and then fired coach Doug Pederson. To replace him, the Jaguars hired one of the best young coaches in the business, Liam Coen. They also hired a new general manager, James Gladstone, and both put together a new coaching staff.
Their time spent at last year’s combine was about establishing relationships among the new coaches and management, and also collaborating on the best way to approach the new season and exorcise the demons of a four-win season. That collaboration resulted in the drafting of a potentially generational talent, CB/WR Travis Hunter, Heisman Trophy winner out of Colorado.
The Jaguars, led quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a ball-hawking defense, initiated one of the best turnarounds in recent memory, adding +9 in the win column over the previous season. Hunter turned in a solid rookie season before injuring his knee in November, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
This year, both Coen and Gladstone will skip the combine, Mike Florio reported on NBC Sports. That is not to say the Jaguars will have no representation at the combine, but two of the team's top guys in the organization are approaching this year’s event differently.
Coen and Gladstone believe their valuable evaluation time would be better spent doing deeper dives on certain players and peeling away the layers to reveal their character and their work ethic at the collegiate level, to determine they are the best fit to wear the teal and black of the Jaguars.
One important aspect working in the Jaguars favor this coming season is continuity. Coen was able to retain both of his coordinators, Grant Udinski on offense and Anthony Campanile on defense, for at least another season. That bodes well for a Jaguars team that ranked No. 11 in total offense, and a defense that ranked in the top 10 in points allowed and interceptions, and No. 1 in rushing defense.
Coen and Gladstone are bringing a refreshing approach to the process of player evaluation and are working on improving on their stellar inaugural year.
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