JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Alan from Pilot Mountain, NC
John, what is your opinion of the draft picks? I have to say I've never seen a lowlight film of a player and never had the opportunity to watch Travis Hunter play. But when Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone made the comment on Bradon Fiske and his work ethic, he sold me on all his picks. I really think we might have the right ingredients in place for a successful future. Go Jags.
The Jaguars selected nine players in the 2025 NFL Draft, which ended Saturday night. The list: Travis Hunter, wide receiver/cornerback, Colorado (Round 1, No. 2 overall); Caleb Ransaw, safety, Tulane (Round 3, No. 88 overall); Wyatt Milum, offensive lineman, West Virginia (Round 3, No. 89 overall); Bhayshul Tuten, running back, Virginia Tech (Round 4, No. 104 overall); Jack Kiser, linebacker, Notre Dame (Round 4, No. 107 overall); Jalen McLeod, linebacker, Auburn (Round 6, No. 194 overall); Rayuan Lane III, safety, Navy (Round 6, No. 200 overall); Jonah Monheim, center, Southern California (Round 7, No. 221 overall); LeQuint Allen, running back, Syracuse (Round 7, No. 236 overall). The Jaguars' '25 draft as a whole received positive reviews, and the thought here is that it's indeed a good draft. The Jaguars moved boldly early by trading up three spots for Hunter, then followed value over need through much of the rest of the draft. They wanted to add speed, and they did. They wanted to address the offensive line, and they did. They wanted to add experienced players ready to play, and they did. They also clearly wanted to add players with the work ethic of which you speak, and they did. It was, from this view, a very successful three days. We'll figure out in time if that view is correct.
Matthew from Townsville, Tropical Australia
Hi, O. Emmanuel Ogbah?
The Jaguars on Sunday agreed to terms with edge Emmanuel Ogbah, a 10-year veteran who played for the Miami Dolphins the past five seasons. Many fans and observers wondered/worried about the Jaguars not addressing edge in the draft. It wasn't that they didn't want to address it. They did, and there were edge rushers they liked a lot. But there were none that fit the value at the time the Jaguars were selecting. This happens at times. The Jaguars instead wisely opted to draft for value and fill the edge need via free agency by acquiring Ogbah Sunday. He's a veteran who can ably add depth behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. This is how you do it.
Jerell from Columbia, SC
This is a one-player draft class with a lot of stuff. Not impressed at all.
Jerell's back.
Justin from NYC
How does the trade with the Lions work? Do the Lions already have two 2026 third-rounders from another trade?
The Jaguars received two 2026 third-round selections from the Detroit Lions in the first of two trades the Jaguars made Friday night. One of the third-round selections is the Lions' "regular" selection in that round. The other is the compensatory selection the Lions received when the New York Jets hired Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as head coach earlier this offseason. That selection was awarded under the Rooney Rule, which compensates teams when they lose minority assistant coaches to head-coaching positions.
Stephen from Jacksonville
Rayuan Lane III, a safety from Navy, was selected by the Jaguars at Pick No. 200. Since he was from a service academy, does he have to serve in the military before playing for the Jaguars?
No. This from the story on Lane being drafted from navysports.com: "Lane will be able to play immediately as Section 557 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 amended the statutes defining the agreement signed by midshipmen and cadets attending a Military Service Academy and their resulting service obligations. These amendments authorize the Secretaries of the Military Departments to transfer not more than three cadets or midshipmen from each Military Service Academy who obtain employment in professional sports, to the Selected Reserves as commissioned officers to participate in efforts to recruit and retain members of the armed forces."
Larry from Wattsburg(h), PA
I initially thought the first-round pick was a terrible idea. Then my penurious side kicked in and I began to feel a bit excited. Now my parental facet is fully engaging and thinking, "Travis be cautious and demand crazy compensation!" I have always worked to the best of my ability doing multiple stations at my jobs and never thought twice about it. Now after back surgery I am still trying to get better. I can relate to players never throwing a game. Always try, and take pride in your work. That's the hill I'll die on.
The NFL has a rookie wage scale, which means contracts for drafted rookies are slotted. This means Hunter can't really demand anything all that "wacky." Fear not for Hunter, financially speaking. He is projected to sign a four-year deal as a rookie worth around $46 million with around $30 million guaranteed.
GP from Savannah, GA
Boy, oh boy. I hope the Hunter doesn't turn out like the '99 draft with Head Coach Mike Ditka and Ricky Williams!
A couple of thoughts here. One, the New Orleans Saints traded their entire 1999 draft to Washington to move from No. 12 to No. 5 overall to select running back Ricky Williams. The Saints also traded first- and third-round selections in the 2000 NFL Draft. The Jaguars, by contrast, traded their No. 5 selection, a second-round selection (No. 36), a fourth-round selection (No. 126), and a 2026 first-round selection to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the No. 2 selection, a fourth-round selection (No. 104), and a sixth-round selection (No. 200). So, while the Hunter trade was expensive, it wasn't quite "Williams" expensive. Also: Williams rushed for more than 10,000 career yards, rushed for more than 1,000 yards five times and led the NFL in rushing in 2002 – so his career wasn't nearly as disappointing as many believe. But yes … it was an expensive, risky trade. No doubt.
Jordan from Clovis, CA
I understand and dare say like the boldness of the Travis Hunter pick. Then I was fine with most of the other picks. But I feel like the Jaguars defensive line was a problem for the last few years and absolutely nothing was done to address it. They picked up, like, three offensive lineman in the free agency and a few more in the draft – which was awesome. But when you say you want to emphasize the trenches, he does realize there are two sides of the trench right? The message is great about emphasizing the trenches, but that means to address both sides and the D-line has been riding the struggle train the last few years.
This was a matter of how the draft board fell. The Jaguars indeed didn't select a "true" defensive lineman in the 2025 NFL Draft. This has been questioned and criticized by observers and fans, but remember: It's best to draft on value, not need. If a team truly drafting that way doesn't draft a certain position, it's because it didn't want to select a player just for the sake of drafting a position. That's smart team-building and it's a good sign that the Jaguars had the conviction to stay true to the proper approach in Gladstone's first draft.
Rob from Jax
O, are they really asking why General Manager Trent Baalke and Head Coach Doug Pederson didn't somehow convince a bunch of professionals to purposely lose so that the Rams assistant GM and Bucs offensive coordinator would have a higher draft position? We are still struggling with this idea that anyone in the NFL would do this?
Yes, apparently they are. Yes, apparently we are.
Greg from Section 122, SOTF, FL
I think drafting Travis Hunter was not about BAP, it was almost definitely about putting fans in the seats for the near future. I am so HAPPY we got him, going to put this out now. Nickname Travis THE Hunter! Doing a whole game day outfit to enforce this. Can't WAIT for the season.
The Jaguars selected Hunter No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft because they believed he was the best player in the draft.
Steve from Nashville, TN
Not counting this year's class how many former undrafted free agents are on the Jaguars roster currently?
Twelve: Tight end Shawn Bowman, wide receiver Joshua Cephus, offensive lineman Javon Foster, offensive lineman Fred Johnson, long snapper Ross Matiscik, guard Patrick Mekari, quarterback Nick Mullens, tight end Johnny Mundt, wide receiver Austin Trammell, wide receiver David White Jr., safety Andrew Wingard, quarterback John Wolford.
Woody from Dunlap
KOAF: Noticed that Travis Hunter was wearing O-Zone style glasses at his press conference. Are you surprised at how rapidly you are influencing the fashion choices of the new recruits?
I am the king of all funk.
