Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan
Getty
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan
The Jacksonville Jaguars started their rookie OTAs this week and are doing their best to make sure they get as many rookies there as they can. In other words, they want to get their new draft picks under contract as soon as possible.
As of Saturday – the first day the camps are open to the public – third-rounders Caleb Ransaw and Wyatt Milum, sixth-rounders Jalen McLeod and Rayuan Lane III, and seventh-rounders Jonah Monheim and LeQuint Allen.
In addition to getting rookies signed, they’ll also be needing jersey numbers to wear. Fear not, the Jaguars have announced the jersey numbers for their rookie class:
Travis Hunter: No. 12
Caleb Ransaw: No. 27
Wyatt Millum: 64
Bhayshul Tuten: 33
Jack Kiser: 54
Jalen McLeod: No. 53
Rayuan Lane III: No. 25
Jonah Monheim: No. 60
LeQuint Allen: No. 36
G.M. gushes about Hunter
There is plenty of praise for Hunter to go around, and his new general manager James Gladstone is no different. It would be a big deal if Gladstone wasn’t gushing about him considering he is the one that pulled the trigger to jump from the No. 5 overall pick to No. 2 in the the 2025 NFL Draft.
“It’s very easy to feel that Travis has gravity. When he walks into a room, the light turns on, regardless of if the electricity is actually, in fact, switched up. That was a moment that definitely resonated with us and his engagement with our coaching staff, the questions that he was asking. As we were walking through some of his film and some of the install specific to the plays that we run, it was really telling of the mind that he has, the curiosity, the interest and growth,” James Gladstone said.
Jaguars made certain traits a priority in the draft
The Jaguars made a point in this year’s draft to focus on versatility as well as mental and physical toughness.
“Yeah, that was very clear. With every pick that that was the priority. I mean, you look across the board at these guys, and you talk to the people that were in touch with them, whether it be the coaches, the personnel, their college coaches, their high school coaches,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after the draft.
“Tough resonates with all these guys, and guys that love football, that love the process that drives the results. So many captains out of this group and leaders and guys that have played a lot of snaps. So much of that was a part of this whole process.”
Gladstone agrees with Coen.
“And the way that people talk about each of these players, it is inspiring. It is something that has caught our attention along the way. It definitely jumps out when you got people willing to stand on the table for them, who have, for all intents and purposes, lived with them, and then also people who in our own building are standing on the table for them,” Gladstone said.
It’s clear that Gladstone is trying to build his own culture moving forward with the Jaguars. That’s a good thing because while the Jags have had some talent in recent years, the overall ship seemed a bit rudderless.