JACKSONVILLE – These are critical, tone-setting weeks.

James Gladstone on Tuesday afternoon said that's true as he approaches his first NFL Draft as the Jaguars' general manager – just as he knows that this time of year is about saying little and being vague. And make no mistake:

He was absolutely – and good-naturedly – vague on Tuesday.

"It is the entertainment business," Gladstone said with a smile when asked about the Jaguars' selection at No. 5 overall in next week's 2025 NFL Draft. "I don't know if we were to announce that right now that many people would feel the need to watch on Night One."

The Jaguars, after a 4-13 finish last season, enter the 2025 NFL Draft with 10 selections. In addition to No. 5, they hold the following selections:

• Round 2 (No. 36)
• Round 3 (Nos. 70 and 88)
• Round 4 (Nos. 107 and 126)
• Round 5 (No. 142)
• Round 6 (No. 182 and 194)
• Round 7 (No. 221)

"It is exciting," Jaguars first-year Head Coach Liam Coen said, adding that playing young players is "something that we don't want to fear whatsoever."

"It's definitely something we're going to lean into," Coen said. "The guys should be excited about it. You can continue to coach hard and get the best out of these guys when they're freshly in the league and really want to do their best.

"We're excited about that factor."

Gladstone, when discussing the possibility of a trade at No. 5, said "adaptability is going to be key through that."

"We'll have as many conversations as people are willing to engage on," he said.

Gladstone, hired in late February after nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, said his focus entering the draft is in line with what has been an organizational theme in recent weeks – and what he calls the organization's "North Star."

Gladstone's phrase to describe the Jaguars' goal acquiring player is "intangibly" rich, which he used to describe 10 unrestricted free agents signed last month – and which he said will continue to be the focus.

"It's very clear amongst our group that's what we're really leaning into, and having everybody embrace and feel that," Gladstone said.

Gladstone and Coen spoke as the Jaguars moved into the final days of pre-draft preparation.

The team's area scouts this week are at the Miller Electric Center for the first time this offseason, with Gladstone saying the staff is now "kind of rounding out a lot of the conversations we've had with the coaching staff over the last month, and really allowing the cement to settle and start to harden here as we creep towards Night one of the Draft, that fifth overall selection."

"There's still a lot of fun dialogue to be had amongst our crew; it's great," Gladstone said. "Working in tandem, it's been fulfilling. It's been a joy."

Gladstone said the scouting staff is in draft meetings in the mornings this week, with coaches' draft meetings in the afternoons. Mock drafts are scheduled next week largely to test technology. Asked when he hoped to have his draft board "set," Gladstone smiled.

"Right before we pick," he said. "We've gone through a ton of exercises over the last five weeks to where we sleep with decisions. We say, 'This is exactly what we're doing over the course of the draft. How do we feel about this outcome?' We wrestle with that, we sit with it, we reflect, then we try a new one.

"For me, it's the way in which my mind works. I've in the past experienced the moments when you send in a pick, you know when you press 'enter' whether or not it was the right one for you. That's what I've enjoyed doing over the last handful of weeks with our group, sort of treating it like we just pressed 'enter,' and trying to wrestle with whether or not that felt the best or if it's exactly what we would have wanted to be the case.

"We want to treat these reps like real life. Trying to create that as often as possible has been certainly enjoyable but look forward to it actually bringing with it some positive results here soon."

And with Gladstone and Coen both entering their first season in their positions, Gladstone said the idea that this draft – particularly next Thursday – could shape and set the tone for the franchise's future is very real.

"Naturally that's absolutely where your mind goes," Gladstone said. "We've had discussions on that subject a number of times. We feel good about the pot of players right now that we're discussing, and that that would align with all the messages we would like to send to the locker room, to our fan base, to the greater football landscape about who the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be moving forward."