5 Instant Takeaways on Jaguars' Day 2 Haul

So, what do we make of the Jaguars' Day 2 haul and what it means moving forward? We break it down below.

The Jaguars' Offseason Is Cleary About One Thing

One of the big takeaways from hearing the Jaguars' brass breakdown their early picks was that Liam Coen and the rest of the franchise have set a clear goal for this offseason: get tougher. The Jaguars' draft looks like a pure meat-and-potatoes type of draft, with the team investing in the running game on both sides of the ball: via a stellar blocking tight end and a road-grading guard on offense, and then a disruptive and rangy nose tackle on defense.

That is not to say Coen is implying the Jaguars were not tough enough last year. The Jaguars certainly took on the personality of their head coach and embraced being a physical team last season, but Coen and the Jaguars clearly believe there were more levels to be reached. In what is a weak class overall in the NFL this year due to talent, the Jaguars have seemingly leaned toward drafting a state of mind.

James Gladstone Needs to Be Right

There are no mincing words when it comes to how important of a draft this is for the Jaguars. After the draft capital the Jaguars used to move up for Travis Hunter last season, the onus has been put on Gladstone and the Jaguars' front office to keep the talent churning through the roster. On Friday, Gladstone seemingly went his own way when it came to the valuation placed on prospects, and Gladstone will need to be proven right in his decisions -- or else the Jaguars could pay for it in the long-run.

The Jaguars got one of the best values in the entire draft when they selected Pregnon at No. 88, but otherwise the Jaguars went way out there on a limb in terms of matching value with the consensus board. Each of the non-Pregnon picks were significant reaches based on the consensus, which shows Gladstone and the Jaguars are going by their own process and their own path ... they just better hope they are right.

Jaguars Have a Type

One constant that was clear in each of the Jaguars' pickups was there level of experience. Boerkircher spent six years in school, and the other three picks were all multi-year starters who have extensive histories and game reps under their belts. This was the case with much of the Jaguars' class a year ago, and it seems like it has become a theme with the Jaguars' new regime. It is because of that theme that we asked Gladstone about the pattern on Friday.

"I think it helps a great deal. I think if you track back to a lot of my tenure with Los Angeles, it wasn't all that different than what you just articulated. Those players tend to walk in the door and have a different version of polish than the ones that you may have to get reps and get that 10,000-hour rule associated to their play," Gladstone said.

"I think it certainly allows -- especially when the human beings themselves are the types that can really pour in and do it in the right way and have the routine that would cultivate a faster acclimation, you're going to be able to see that turn around rather quickly. All these guys, they can have the talent, but the differentiator is the mindset, and that's a lot of what we focused on with these decisions."

As Gladstone pointed out, this was a major scouting point for the Rams during his time with the franchise. This draft, if anything, sure looks like a vintage Les Snead draft. That might take some adjustments for fans, but we now at least have some clear trends to work on that are not just a one-year sample size.

Biggest Surprise ...

To me, the biggest surprise of the night (outside of Boerkircher at No. 56) was the fact that the Jaguars made zero trades. Jacksonville was one of the most active teams in last year's draft in terms of trades, at least early on. I expected that trend to continue this year, and it still could on Day 3. But for now, the Jaguars have been one team that has sat out of making deals.

That is not to say it is for a lack of trying. Gladstone noted on Friday that they made calls about moving up early in the day, but nothing came together. The Jaguars seemed poised to move up in the draft for the last week, but instead they made all four of their top-100 picks. I can not say I mapped out many of those scenarios.

... Biggest Non-Surprise

We have spent most of the last two months saying the Jaguars were unlikely to select a linebacker in the top-100. Linebacker was not near the top of what we saw as the Jaguars biggest needs entering Day 2, even after the departure of Devin Lloyd in free agency. Everything about the Jaguars' process and James Gladstone's history of scouting the position indicated this would be the case, but it is still worth noting that the Jaguars felt comfortable passing on the position four times.

I expect the Jaguars to take a linebacker on Day 3 who will compete with Ventrell Miller, but everything the Jaguars have done since the season has ended has been an indicator that they are comfortable with Miller starting in the middle of their defense. While people scratched their heads at the Jaguars passing on Anthony Hill at No. 56, that was one move we have been calling all along. We will see when the Jaguars attack linebacker, but maybe do not mock it early to Jacksonville next season.