Jan 5, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) tackles Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Jaguars Have Plenty at Stake in 2025 Draft

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Zak Gilbert | Last updated Apr 6, 2025 12:30 PM ET

At first glance, including the Jaguars on a list of teams with the most at stake in the 2025 NFL Draft is a curious choice.

Jacksonville went outside the organization to hire a general manager and head coach in the same offseason for the first time since Dave Caldwell and Gus Bradley in 2013.

And unless the Jaguars sink off the Atlantic Continental Shelf, James Gladstone and Liam Coen are expected back in 2026. But as Derrik Klassen explained on Wednesday’s edition of The Athletic Football Show, a clean slate means more in Jacksonville than other cities.

“Trent Baalke is out of the building,” Klassen said. “I think there is a good chance that this draft, if you approach it in the right way, it can just feel like a breath of fresh air. And I think honestly for a franchise like this, that could really go a long way.”

Klassen said many of the Jaguars’ free-agent signings were simply band-aids on existing roster issues, and Jacksonville made no effort to hide its true intentions. The Jaguars will be a draft-and-develop franchise, the philosophy to which Gladstone, Les Snead and Sean McVay shifted after the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021.

“They were like, ‘We want to walk into the draft having as much freedom to do whatever we want to do as possible,’” Klassen explained, noting the Jaguars have 10 total selections, including No. 5 overall.

“I just think that with them not having that many star players on the roster … this team is kind of lacking real-deal star firepower. If they could land a couple of those in this draft, even trade up for them with those extra picks if you need to, into the second and third round, I really do think that they could have raised their floor through free agency, and then raised their ceiling through the draft.”

And as the Jaguars proved in 2022, after the disastrous Urban Meyer season, any team can rebound quickly in the AFC South. In addition to changing the coaching staff that year, Jacksonville spent big money in free agency and actually got significant contributions from those veterans, who complemented Trevor Lawrence well in his second season.

Now, with Gladstone and Coen at the reins, they’re attempting to do something similar but attempting to do it primarily through the draft.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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