JACKSONVILLE – For Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone, the NFL Draft is about much more than just selecting football players.
It is about finding individuals who live and breathe the qualities the Jaguars value as pieces of the organization. It is about finding which players have "Jaguars DNA," and why nobody brought into the Miller Electric Center can afford to lack it.
One common trait to the Jaguars' most recent influx of players: Collegiate experience – a lot of it.
"I think it helps a great deal," Gladstone said.
Which is why experience is among several central themes to the Jaguars' 2026 NFL Draft class – with a draft-long theme the mental and physical toughness critical to "Jaguars DNA."
Gladstone's experience in the Los Angeles Rams' front office for nearly a decade surely played into those themes, as they are the same ones that Rams General Manager Les Snead and Rams Head Coach Sean McVay follow each offseason.
On-field experience was a theme early in the Jaguars' 2026 NFL Draft, with Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher – the Jaguars' first '26 selection at No. 56 overall (Round 2) – having appeared in 52 collegiate games. The Jaguars' next two Day 2 selections, Texas A&M defensive tackle Albert Regis (No. 81) and Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon (No. 88), played in 50 and 51 career games, respectively.
This trend continued in the later rounds, with the Jaguars' 10-player class playing an average of 46.4 games over their college career. Only one selection (seventh-round defensive end Zach Durfee of Washington) played fewer than 40 games in his college career.