James Gladstone can't stop being roasted for Jaguars' 2026 draft class
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James Gladstone can't stop being roasted for Jaguars' 2026 draft class originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars were entering a pivotal point this offseason. The team surprised many in 2025, winning the AFC South and earning a home playoff game.
Many expected the team to go all in this offseason off of that momentum and try to truly contend in 2026. However, that's not exactly what happened. The team's only moves during free agency were signing running backs Chris Rodriguez and Ameer Abdullah and trading for defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro.
As if that wasn't confusing enough, general manager James Gladstone then seemingly decided he was going to try and outsmart everybody during the draft. The Jaguars reached with almost all of their picks and were seen as a big loser by almost every draft analyst.
Now that the draft is a month old, it's not looking any better for Gladstone.
Jaguars called one of most 'overeager' teams
NFL Draft On SI's Justin Melo recently identified the five teams who were most "overeager" during the 2026 NFL Draft, and naturally, the Jaguars made the list.
Melo offered the following analysis:
The Jacksonville Jaguars made 10 total selections, often veering from the consensus board to reach for prospects they held in higher regard than the rest of the league did. The aforementioned tight end usage around the NFL influenced their decision to take Nate Boerkircher at No. 56. It was among the more stunning draft picks throughout the entire weekend.
The Jaguars continued reaching for prospects they uniquely valued. Albert Regis, Jalen Huskey, and Wesley Williams all went significantly earlier than expected. We'll be analyzing this James Gladstone draft class for years to evaluate whether or not he out-smarted everybody.
As Melo mentioned, the Jaguars had 10 picks, and they seemingly reached on all of them. Taking a blocking tight end with their first pick of the draft was certainly interesting, especially when there were seemingly much better fits available.
Albert Regis, Jalen Huskey, and Wesley Williams were also seen as major reaches, while Parker Hughes literally wasn't even on most big boards.
Of course, it's possible that Gladstone really does have a unique scouting process and he could look like a genius. However, typically, when 31 teams and all experts feel one way, they tend to be right.
Jaguars need to make the playoffs again in 2026
I think it's fair to say the Jaguars have to make the playoffs again in 2026. You can't drag your feet in free agency and then draft a ton of reaches, and then miss the postseason. The fanbase would be irate if that were to happen.
On the other hand, if the Jaguars perform just as they did last year, or better, nobody will both talking about Gladstone's weird draft. The Jaguars simply have to take care of business again and all of the Gladstone slander will go away.