Jacksonville Jaguars feel 'volume' is theme of 2026 NFL Draft class

The Jacksonville Jaguars concluded the 2026 NFL Draft without much theatrics, but there were plenty of players selected who are now going to be welcomed into the team's ecosystem, as Jaguars general manager James Gladstone likes to say. Jacksonville began the draft without a first round pick after trading the selection in part to acquire cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter with the second-overall pick in last year's draft. It marked the first time in the team's 31-year history in which they did not select a player in the first round of the draft.

After a couple of trades on Day 3 of the event, Jacksonville ended the draft with 10 total selections, something Gladstone was hoping would be the case since he joined the team a bit more than a year ago. Jaguars UDFA tracker: Which undrafted free agents did Jacksonville add? "A higher volume of draft capital was what we were seeking, knowing the more at bats you have, the better probability you'll have for successful selections, while at the same time you can have a few more misses than you do hits.

But nonetheless, it was cool to lean into that as a part of this draft," Gladstone said when asked about volume being part of the calculus with this week's draft. The Jaguars currently own 10 selections in the 2027 class, one that will — at least for now — include a first-round pick. In all, Gladstone says, it should give them team a healthy three-year run in terms of the volume of players added to the team's roster.

This year's draft played out, essentially, how Jacksonville expected it to. Volume became the theme and there was no secret plan overrule that barring something unforeseen occurring. "It was a higher volume of draft capital and ensuring we could prioritize guys that match and align with what I've spoken a lot about, which are the intangible elements, elements that don't necessarily always lie on the surface but are beneath the hood, and I think it's very clear internally that we were able to do just that, and really excited about what lies in front," said Gladstone.