By JEFF MOELLER, Jacksonville SportsDay
JACKSONVILLE – Most Jaguars’ fans weren’t expecting a well-known draft pick at No. 56 unless the Jags picked up one of the quarterbacks still available.
There also was the underlying feeling that general manager James Gladstone could pull off another draft blockbuster deal that he did last year with Travis Hunter.
Without a pick in the top 50, this draft was about adding depth and finding a starter would be a longshot.
Instead, the script continued with a rather quiet offseason for the team. Their biggest deal was Travon Walker’s extension and the re-signing of a number of veterans.
Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen have worked to keep most of the current cast in place except for Travis Etienne, Devin LLoyd, and Andrew Wingard. Lack of cap space left them without the ability to shop as freely as they wanted.
The Jags’ duo must have a plan in mind that we’ll have to watch unravel with the drafting of Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkicher, who is known primarily for his blocking with only 38 career catches, and he was on the lower end of projected tight ends.
With Coen’s perplexity for using a multi-right end set, Boerkircher could fit in along with starter Brenton Strange along with leftovers Hunter Long and Quinten Morris. Tight end play could alleviate some of the initial pressure off the running game without Etienne.
The rest of the Jags’ opening rounds filed suit. They added depth to the defensive and offensive lines with the selections of Boerkircher’s teammate, defensive tackle Albert Regis, Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon, and Maryland defensive back Jalen Husky.
Regis’, a run stopper, could have an increased role if Arik Armstead becomes a June cap cut. Newcomer Ruke Orhorhoro, acquired from Atlanta for Masson Smith, is expected to see plenty of time.
Pregnon is known as an effective run blocker, and he could see some prominent time, and Husky already is expected to challenge incumbent Antonio Johnson at a corner.
Gladstone has seven picks from rounds four through seven, and he will need to find some diamonds in the rough on the final day. A running back will likely be a priority.
In the opening rounds, though, the Jags did exactly what was expected.
It didn’t have the explosive atmosphere of last year, but it could prove to add some added depth.
Nate Boerkircher
Boerkircher finished his career with 38 receptions for 417 yards (10.97) and four touchdowns, while adding four rushes for 16 yards and one score in 52 career games. In 2025, he appeared in all 13 games with seven starts, and registered touchdown receptions against Notre Dame, Arkansas and South Carolina. The score against the Fighting Irish with 13 seconds remaining lifted the Aggies to their first victory over a top-25 opponent on the road since 2014. Additionally, Boerkircher recorded a 74.5 offensive grade according to Pro Football Focus.
Prior to his time at Texas A&M, Boerkircher totaled 19 receptions for 219 yards (11.53) with one touchdown against North Dakota (2022) while playing for Nebraska,
Albert Regis
A two-year starter played in 51 career games for the Aggies and finished with 116 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 10 pass breakups, one forced fumble, one blocked kick and five quarterback hurries. He recorded three-plus tackles in 20 games and five-plus tackles in nine contests. Additionally, Regis posted 1.5-plus tackles for loss in three career games and forced one fumble against Florida in 2025.
Last season, Regis started all 13 games and finished with 49 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. In 2024, he started all 13 games and totaled 36 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and six pass breakups, which was third on the team.
Emmanuel Pregnon
A native of Denver, Colo., Pregnon shined in his lone season with the Ducks in 2025 after making previous stops at Wyoming and USC. He started all 15 games for the Ducks, making 14 starts at left guard and one at right guard, and earned first-team all-America honors from the Sporting News and the Associated Press while earning second-team honors from the AFCA and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Pregnon ranked second among all FBS guards with an 86.7 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus, and his 85.8 run-blocking grade was No. 3 among all players at the position. He allowed just five pressures and one sack in 445 pass-blocking opportunities as a key piece of an Oregon offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, presented to the nation’s most outstanding offensive line unit.
Pregnon helped the Ducks rank in the top 30 nationally for scoring offense (T-10th, 36.9 PPG), total offense (16th, 452.2 YPG), rushing offense (20th, 198.60 YPG), yards per rush (13th, 5.41) and sacks allowed (T-27th, 19) while leading the country in plays of 20-plus yards (100). Oregon rushed for 200-plus yards seven times with two games of 300-plus yard while running behind Pregnon and company.
Jalen Husky
Huskey garnered Second Team All-Big Ten honors in his final season with the Terps in 2025. He appeared in all 12 games with 11 starts, helping Maryland record its most interceptions since 2010. Huskey totaled four interceptions, which tied for the team lead, tied for fourth in the Big Ten and tied for 16th nationally. He also made 72 tackles, which ranked second on the team and sixth-most among Big Ten defensive backs.
Huskey, who participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl and was invited to the NFL Combine, is expected to earn his Sociology degree from the University of Maryland in May.
