Elite 2027 Draft Dream Come True: Secure Your 2026 Futures Invitation Chance Today!
The departures that the Jacksonville Jaguars are seeing from their 2026 free agent class are giving them a boost in the 2027 NFL draft. By losing Devin Lloyd, Travis Etienne, and Greg Newsome in free agency, Over the Cap is projecting that the Jaguars will receive three 2027 compensatory draft picks in return. Losing Lloyd is projected to land the Jaguars a fourth-round pick.
Etienne a fifth-round pick and Newsome a sixth-round pick. As GM James Gladstone explained on Thursday, this is a big reason why the Jaguars have had a quiet start to free agency. Gladstone did not want any outside signings to cancel out the compensatory pick that the Jaguars are projected to receive for their free agency departures.
These added picks that the Jaguars are expected to earn only provide Jacksonville with more draft picks in 2027, but they also provide more flexibility to make trades throughout the year. "On the surface, you would think, 'okay, you're going to make picks in 2027,' whereas in reality, those draft picks, having more of them actually allows you the luxury of remaining in the hunt at different intervals throughout the entire calendar year for acquiring players," Gladstone said. A lack of draft capital could impact a team's willingness to trade away picks.
Gladstone also mentioned that the Jaguars' roster isn't in need of sweeping changes either, which was the case last offseason. So any further additions made by the Jaguars could be low-level, near league minimum additions to not impact the compensatory pick formula. Players like Chris Rodriguez, who was non-tendered, or players who have been released by their teams, are not compensatory free agents.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL free agency: Jaguars 2027 compensatory draft pick projections