The Jaguars Need to Draft to Maintain a Defensive Presence
The Jacksonville Jaguars made a lot of progress on the defensive side of the ball in 2025. The young unit became a top 10 defense in the league, setting numerous franchise records. It was the best takeaway defense that Duval County has ever seen in their history. Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, who joined under head coach Liam Coen, was a key contributor to this new mindset of an elite defense. However, the Jaguars have some work to do in 2026 to keep this group as competitive as they were in 2025. With the draft coming up in April, the Jaguars can make strides if they hit on their picks just right.
First of all, the team is losing multiple crucial pieces to free agency. Standout linebacker Devin Lloyd had the best season of his entire career in 2025 and is looking for a huge paycheck when he hits the market. The Jaguars have been unable to re-sign the veteran to this point, increasing his demand around the league. Jacksonville is also losing two of their key cornerbacks to free agency, with Montaric Brown and former Cleveland Browns’ Greg Newsome II both hitting the market. Longtime Jacksonville player Andrew Wingard is also hitting the free market alongside three defensive linemen, including Duwuane Smoot. The sheer amount of players leaving the team, along with the fact that the Jaguars were over the salary cap entering 2026, means that the draft will be the safest option to rebuild the core and the option that the Jaguars should pay the most attention to.
The draft would not only give the team more control over money and contract terms than free agency, but also allow for their trade capital to grow. The Jaguars could commit to a draft-night trade to help build their core back up, but they may choose the route of drafting their players instead. One player in mind is defensive tackle Dontay Corleone out of Cincinnati. Corleone was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2024 and has developed into an NFL-caliber lineman. Jacksonville has a fair share of veteran linemen leaving the team, and could reset the group with a young athlete like Corleone. Another name to watch is cornerback Keith Abney II, an All-Big 10 selection in 2025 out of Arizona State. The Jaguars are going to need a new corner to pair with the tenured Tyson Campbell, and a player like Abney would fit right in. Cornerback TJ Hall, out of Iowa, could also take that spot, being a two-time All-Big 10 selection. James Gladstone has a lot of options at his disposal to keep this defense intact, but the draft would be the easiest and cheapest method to go.
