Jacksonville Jaguars’ general manager James Gladstone has only been in office for just over a year now.
As such, it can be hard to get a good read off of what sort of GM he is, but he’s been about as transparent as anyone since his hiring.
And at every step of the way, he’s put his money where his mouth is. When James Gladstone speaks, he means it.
He’s already proved how willing he is to make a move, whether it be up or down the draft board.
All four of the Jaguars’ first four selections last year were a result of trades, whether up or down. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more movement this year.
The Jaguars’ 11 draft selections this weekend offer Gladstone the ammo to be aggressive if a player the front office fancies falls into striking range.
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The team has plenty of 2027 ammo at their disposal as well. The recent trade for defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro gives Gladstone additional flexibility so the team doesn’t feel forced to take a DT early if the board falls a certain way.
Schematic and positional versatility is a trait Gladstone seems to fancy. Travis Hunter, Caleb Ransaw, Wyatt Milum all had positional flexibility.
His approach is pretty similar in free agency as many of the Jaguars’ offensive lineman brought in have the ability to play all across the line.
Gladstone’s famous “intangibly rich” quote will no doubt be a factor yet again in the 2026 NFL Draft. Last year, the Jaguars drafted three team captains and two Academic All-Americans.
Special teams is another facet of the game the Jaguars invested heavily in last year with the selections of Rayuan Lane III, Bhayshul Tuten, and Jack Kiser.
Lane actually was named “Special Teams Player of the Year” by College Football Network for his special teams work at Navy.
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Kiser was named Notre Dame’s “Special Teams Player of the Year” in 2023, while Tuten returned two kicks for touchdowns.
Looking deeper, the Jaguars brought in the 10th youngest class last year (22.3 yrs) and 11th most athletic (8.3 RAS).
Gladstone’s mentor and Rams GM Les Snead brought in a very similar class in regards to age (9th), but Gladstone valued athleticism (Rams: 26th) far more, at least in the 2025 NFL Draft. It will be interesting to see if Gladstone continues this trend in 2026.
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We can also draw more info from Snead to provide hints as to what to expect from Gladstone in this class. For instance, Snead values arm length in DTs the least of all traits among all positions. The average arm length of a DT is 33.3 inches, while Snead’s average drafted DT comes in nearly two inches shorter.
With the Jaguars’ biggest need coming at the defensive tackle position, it’s a pretty intriguing stat. Former GM Trent Baalke was smitten with arm length, but Snead seemingly ignores it here.