{"id":849717,"date":"2026-04-02T17:55:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/849717\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T17:55:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:55:18","slug":"number-of-picks-biggest-needs-draft-history-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/849717\/","title":{"rendered":"Number of picks, biggest needs, draft history"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn\u2019t solve every riddle<\/a> during free agency. Therefore, they need to do well in the draft. And here is the Jaguars’ 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> guide to get you ready for the upcoming annual seven-round selection meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ahead of this crucial week, let\u2019s look at the Jaguars\u2019 picks, their biggest needs, potential targets, and recent draft history. The draft is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this year, with the Round 1 kicking off on April 23. Rounds 2 and 3 happen on April 24. The festivities wrap up with Rounds 4-7 on April 25.<\/p>\n

Jaguars\u2019 2026 NFL Draft picks<\/p>\n

Without a first-round pick \u2014 because of the move to get Travis Hunter last season \u2014 Liam Coen and the Jaguars will have to take a patient approach to the draft. But once they get rolling, their name will be called often. Included in the mix are three third-round picks.<\/p>\n

Will quantity trump quality? That’s what the Jaguars are hoping for in 2026. Here\u2019s a look at their picks:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Round 2, Pick 56
\u2022 Round 3, Pick 81
\u2022 Round 3, Pick 88
\u2022 Round 3, Pick 100
\u2022 Round 4, Pick 124
\u2022 Round 5, Pick 164
\u2022 Round 5, Pick 166
\u2022 Round 6, Pick 203
\u2022 Round 7, Pick 233
\u2022 Round 7, Pick 240
\u2022 Round 7, Pick 245<\/p>\n

Jaguars\u2019 2026 NFL Draft needs and targets<\/p>\n

DT: The Jaguars didn\u2019t have any problem stopping the run in 2025. They led the league. However, getting to the opposing quarterback was a different story. Part of the reason came from a lack of interior pressure. That put too much pressure on the edge to produce snap after snap.<\/p>\n

One possible target for the Jaguars at pick No. 56 is Lee Hunter. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound beast from Texas Tech has been nicknamed \u201cThe Fridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter brings quite a bit<\/a> to the table, according to NFL Draft Buzz.<\/p>\n

\u201cHunter is a run-stuffing nose tackle, and there is no reason to pretend the projection is anything more complicated than that,\u201d NFL Draft Buzz wrote. \u201cWhat he does against the run is very good. He plants in the A-gap, absorbs double teams with heavy hands, and holds ground while freeing up the second level. The 58 run-defense stops over two seasons at UCF and a Texas Tech defense that led the nation in rushing yards allowed are not accidents.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Hunter would not necessarily solve the Jaguars\u2019 problem of getting to the quarterback. So perhaps they look at the linebacker position.<\/p>\n

Other looks at this position could be Domonique Orange (Iowa State) or Caleb Banks (Florida).<\/p>\n

LB: This makes a lot of sense because the Jaguars lost Devin Lloyd to the Panthers in free agency. So, making things work at this position with a good draft pick is urgent.<\/p>\n

One player who could fit the bill is Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson. He projects as an eventual starter<\/a>, according to NFL.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cLawson is twitchy and covers ground quickly when scraping to the football or knifing inside to disrupt as a run blitzer,\u201d Lance Zierlein wrote. \u201cHe has the reactive agility to become an above-average open-field finisher, but his wrap-and-drive fundamentals run hot and cold. Lawson\u2019s athleticism shows up in man coverage and when expanding his zone influence. He projects as a run-and-chase Will linebacker with three-down potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Lawson has a limited ceiling, according to Zierlein. Perhaps the Jaguars fall in line with Texas Tech\u2019s Jacob Rodriguez. This is a direction<\/a> ESPN likes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s a heady, downhill player who captained the Texas Tech defense and is ready to be a green-dot linebacker in the NFL,\u201d Matt Miller wrote.<\/p>\n

EDGE: Yes, the defensive needs are strong. And the Jaguars could use more help on the edge. But what would be available in the latter stages of the second round? One possible solution<\/a> is Auburn\u2019s Keyron Crawford. He\u2019s seen as an eventual starter, according to NFL.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrawford is a stand-up rush linebacker prospect with plus athletic traits, but he\u2019ll need more seasoning to reach his potential,\u2019 Zierlein wrote. \u201cHe\u2019s twitchy and rushes with ideal energy as a hungry quarterback-hunter. However, he might benefit from dialing back his constant acceleration and becoming more intentional with his rush.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a decent ceiling for Crawford. But perhaps the Jaguars could land Gabe Jacas (Illinois), Derrick Moore (Michigan), or R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma).<\/p>\n

Recent draft history \u2014 top picks for the last five years
\n2025: CB\/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado (Round 1, pick 2)
\n2024: WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU (Round 1, 23)
\n2023: OL Anton Harrison, Oklahoma (Round 1, 27)
\n2022: DE Travon Walker, Georgia (Round 1, 1)
\n2021: QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (Round 1, 1)
\n2020: CB CJ Henderson, Florida (Round 1, 9)<\/p>\n

The Jaguars have spent important draft capital on the offensive side of the football over the last five years. And three of those picks \u2014 Hunter, Thomas, and Lawrence \u2014 are the foundation of what they\u2019re trying to build.<\/p>\n

However, it must be noted that Hunter fell way short of expectations. He missed much of the season, as many NFL observers predicted would happen if he played both ways, which he did. Thomas didn\u2019t follow up as a sophomore after a brilliant rookie year. And Lawrence has been very disappointing after being hailed as the dreaded \u201cgenerational talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, after these disappointing offensive picks, it makes sense for the Jaguars to turn to the defensive side of the ball. And then they have to hope that Thomas, Hunter, and Lawrence reach some of their potential.<\/p>\n

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn\u2019t solve every riddle during free agency. Therefore, they need to do well in the draft. And here is the Jaguars’ 2026 NFL Draft guide to get you ready for the upcoming annual seven-round selection meeting. Ahead of this crucial week, let\u2019s look at the Jaguars\u2019 picks, their biggest needs, potential targets, and recent draft history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Jacksonville Jaguars didn\u2019t solve every riddle during free agency. Therefore, they need to do well in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":849718,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2060],"tags":[18731,7,212,125,2401,213,6,15,18732],"class_list":{"0":"post-849717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville-jaguars","8":"tag-editorials","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-jacksonville","11":"tag-jacksonville-jaguars","12":"tag-jacksonvillejaguars","13":"tag-jaguars","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft","16":"tag-nfl-editorials"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116336402779663027","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}