The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL draft, making a deal with the Carolina Panthers for the 119th overall pick.
The Jaguars then used that pick to select Duke edge rusher Wesley Williams.
At a minimum, more depth is needed at this position. The Jaguars need to add several more players to round out their training camp roster, but boosting the depth, in turn, hopefully elevates competition and raises the floor of this unit.
But beyond that, while the Jaguars are situated well at the top of this position with Hines-Allen and Walker, more steady pass rush production from the rotational members of this unit is needed. Last season, Jacksonville ranked 18th in pressure rate and 27th in sacks as a collective group.
Williams has been a productive pass rusher the last two seasons, totaling 43 pressures in 2024 and 46 pressures in 2025, along with 13 total sacks. He was also one of PFF's highest graded run defenders at the defensive end position.
Wesley Williams is a DE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 7.49 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 564 out of 2239 DE from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/KWQPdGvNVI pic.twitter.com/sRc93U4Fcn
Here is what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had to say about Williams in his pre-draft report:
"Williams plays every snap with a white-hot motor and intensity that opponents found hard to match in 2025. He’s a natural knee bender, using his leverage to blow up blocks and dart into gaps to disrupt play development in the run game. However, he's hindered by a lack of length and explosiveness that will make it much tougher for him to create pressure as a pro. His sack production was bolstered by secondary rush effort, so it would make sense to slide him inside on passing downs. Rushing from the interior would allow him to use his cross-chop and edge-to-edge movements against guards instead of tackles. Overall, Williams projects as a rotational base end."
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Why the Jaguars traded up to pick DE Wesley Williams