Fresh off a 13-4 season that is powering an optimism factory in Jacksonville, the Jaguars are entering a new world in April that isn't all that unfamiliar to those in charge.
For the first time in franchise history, Jacksonville doesn't own a first-round pick in an upcoming draft. Coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone -- products of the Rams, an organization that has freely swapped first-round picks for proven assets in recent years -- aren't bothered by this reality.
"We've waited a lot longer before," Coen said of his past spent in Los Angeles. "It was fun. We were having a blast. We were hanging out at a beach house [during the 2022 draft]."
Gladstone added: "There is no doubt about it, we have waited longer. There is no doubt. 104 was our first pick. So, we at least get to cut that in half a little bit. What do we go, two weeks, one day from now until our pick -- for now -- you're always going to stay agile. You're never bored. You're always thinking through what might we be able to do? I think that mental gymnastics certainly is an engaging element regardless of where your first pick point is."
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The Jaguars sent their first-round selection to the Cleveland Browns during the 2025 draft in order to trade up and select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, an aggressive swing taken with a transformative future in mind. Hunter fell short of that mark as a rookie before his season ended prematurely due to injury, but with the former No. 2 pick on the recovery road -- he'll be limited in offseason activities, per Gladstone -- the Jaguars don't have any regrets.
They're comfortable with feeling out the draft from the sideline. Their time spent with Rams GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay has prepared them well.
"No, we do scenarios," Gladstone said when asked if the Jaguars still produce mock drafts without a first-round pick. "We walk through, hey, if this pot of players is there, which one do we feel most comfortable targeting knowing that at our next pick point or our next few pick points, these are the players that we feel like may be in scope. How do we feel about the combination of these different players together, and so on and so forth.
"We're working through that a little bit. Obviously on draft night, there's no telling. All it takes is one team to take a player that you want and you're moving onto the next that you were eyeing up. And that may alter what you do at the pick point behind it and the pick point behind that, so we're trying to chop through that as best we can."
Such an approach can be perceived as passive, especially after the Jaguars largely stood pat during free agency. But there's value in expressing belief in an existing roster and retaining the core contributors, and it seems to be the foundation of Jacksonville's approach as the club ventures into its second season under the direction of Gladstone and Coen.
As the Jaguars see it, they like what they have. They're excited to add when their time arrives during the draft. Unlike last season, a big swing isn't necessary to build on what was a remarkable turnaround in 2025.
Most importantly, they can't wait to get back to work.
"You're chomping at the bit, especially after going to the owner's meetings and talking some smack and having some fun, but also it just feels a little bit closer right?" Coen said. "Getting the guys back in the building. The entire message is we're attacking this offseason. We're attacking the details, we're attacking the relationships, we're attacking our communication. Because there's new, there's change. Different communications and relationships that need to be blended and matched. Pouring into each other from a detail standpoint, I think that's going to be key and critical, and getting better with less time.
"We were fortunate last year as a first-year staff to have an extra week. We maximize the entire offseason with less time as a coaching staff and with the players being extremely dialed into everything that we're trying to improve on. Those areas I talked of stink that we need to work on, and then continuing to focus on the fundamentals and techniques that we always want to coach, but we're attacking everything that we're doing this offseason."