With their final pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Middle Tennessee State linebacker Parker Hughes.

At this stage of the draft, best player available takes priority over positional needs. Teams are looking for prospects with a trait or two that they want to take a swing on developing. While adding competition at linebacker could have been a move made, we shouldn't expect Hughes to compete with Ventrell Miller. As a seventh-round pick, he will likely be competing for special teams snaps.

Parker Hughes was drafted in round 7 with pick 240 in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 7.59 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 839 out of 3480 LB from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/abxEVdbqDB pic.twitter.com/5bXQeYUXBs

Hughes has played 1,910 career defensive snaps over four seasons at Middle Tennessee State. He's been a sound tackler and graded out well against the run by PFF's metrics this past season. In coverage, he held opponents to under 10 yards per catch, coming away with two interceptions and three pass breakups.

Hughes has been penalized just once in his career and is very experienced on special teams, playing 586 snaps across five seasons.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Why did Jaguars pick Middle Tennessee LB Parker Hughes?