Adjust Your Mock Drafts: Gladstone Hints At Draft Philosophy

Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen met with the assembled media on Thursday to discuss the team’s draft strategy ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft, which kicks off April 23rd in Pittsburgh.

Early in the availability, Gladstone, as he often does, offered a comment worth noting. When asked whether the team was operating from a position of roster strength, particularly given that Jacksonville still holds 11 picks heading into the draft, Gladstone’s response pointed to something genuinely interesting.

“Those slots that you’re thinking about are more contributing slots. When you’re talking about first-year players, typically that’s the expectation, finding a way to contribute and offer a positive impact. It can be a little bit more challenging on the early end of a season as a rookie or even towards mid-season to really feel that come to life. In the instances that it does, that’s great. That’s usually above the expectation, especially when you’re talking about pick 50 and beyond, which is where we find ourselves at this point.”

I thought that Gladstone’s response a little provided insight into how this roster build may be viewed by leadership, and similarily how it likely should be viewed by fans: “contributing slots.” Gladstone didn’t say “starters”, “starting-caliber, or “high impact players” in his response.” Contributors. This, coming from a general manager that has shown consistency in being clear in what he says and how it is said, stood out to me.

So, is the takeaway from fans and media that the expectation in Jacksonville, going into every season, be that second-round picks and beyond aren’t necessarily drafted to start immediately, but rather to develop into high-level contributors who eventually work their way into the starting lineup by outplaying the veterans ahead of them? Based on the broader numbers from the 2025 NFL Draft, that philosophy appears to be the norm across the league, not the exception. Let’s take a look back just one year at the 2025 NFL Draft’s second round, starting at pick number 50.

Obviously, the number of snaps played does little in he way of providing context of the quality of each team’s depth at the player’s position group, the quality of play from the individual player, injuries, and many, many other considerations. It is only a starting point to the complex conversation of whether a draft pick should be eventually deemed as a “hit” or “miss.” But what it does is to provide substance to the argument that, contributing being a fine bar in year one for a successful organization. With just seven of the

Despite this reality for most playoff NFL rosters, the prevailing fan expectation tends to be that second and third round picks for a team should contribute as immediate starters, and that anything short of that is a failed selection. We’ve seen this exact expectation play out when discussing mock drafts within the fan base throughout this offseason. But when the team you’re rooting for is a winning organization with few glaring holes and limited “open runways” at the starting level, patience and development time are probably more realistic benchmarks for immediately evaluating those picks.

Later in that same response, Gladstone also noted that Jacksonville’s 2025 draft class, the initial class under this new regime, entered the league with a nearly identical number of selections as in 2026, when the team began round one with 10. Many of those players, of course, had their 2025 seasons cut short by injury or other circumstances, a caveat that adds important context to how that class is ultimately evaluated. It’s a comment that could easily land the wrong way with portions of the fanbase. Given how little the 2025 draft class was able to impact the starting lineup, whether due to injury or the depth of the roster in front of them, some Jaguars fans may hear Gladstone drawing that parallel and bristle at the comparison. The 2025 class showed flashes, but meaningful contributions to the win column were limited, and that reality is still fresh for many fans in Duval.

2025 Draft Class Offense/Defense Snaps:

• Rd 1: CB/WR Travis Hunter 481 (323 Off; 158 on Def)
• Rd 7: RB LeQuint Allen  259
• Rd 4: RB Bhayshul Tuten 215
• Rd 7: OL Jonah Monheim 205
• Rd 6: S Rayuan Lane 117
• Rd 3: OL Wyatt Milum 96
• Rd 4: LB Jack Kiser 43
• Rd 3: S Caleb Ransaw 0
• Rd 6: LB Jalen McLeod 0

That said, the 2026 stakes are real. And this team will likely rise or fall in based largely on how the 2025 draft class develops, and how many of those players are performing as legitimate starters by, at the very least, midseason. Still, the data does seem to support Gladstone’s goal of securing contributors – in whatever form they take. Whether that changes fans’ opinions once the picks are in and April’s draft comes and goes is another matter entirely.

At pick 56, the team could opt to draft the best player available, with an eye on 2027, pursuing interior offensive line, wide receiver, cornerback, offensive tackle, or edge, or other options though there’s no clear opening on the roster. As we saw in the 2025 draft class, “contributing” can take on many looks, with some of the largest contributors in Jacksonville’s draft class being mid-to-late round picks, selected with solidified starters already in place. Though, that obviously wasn’t the goal, right?

What did you make of Thursday’s media availability and Gladstone’s comments, Duval? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!