ClutchPoints
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a fantastic season, but it ended in postseason heartbreak. After Trevor Lawrence’s true breakout campaign, the Jaguars were eliminated in the Wild Card Round by the Buffalo Bills. The future is bright for the Jaguars, but unfortunately, they don’t have an easy path to improving in the offseason. Jacksonville is one of four teams without a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, as they traded their first-round selection in order to move up for Travis Hunter in last year’s draft.
Improving their weaknesses will be harder without a top-32 pick, but there are still players in the later rounds who seem destined for Jacksonville. So, who are the prospects that would perfectly fit in Jacksonville that the Jaguars should target?
The 2026 NFL Draft class has a lot of strong points. The class is stacked at receiver and edge, but also at cornerback and linebacker. That is good news for a Jaguars team that doesn’t own a first-round pick this year. The team’s biggest needs are cornerback and linebacker, and some good ones are bound to fall to the second or third round because of the depth at those positions.
Anthony Hill is one such linebacker who isn’t getting much first-round buzz, but in other classes, he could have enough talent to land inside the top 32. This year, he may fall all the way to the Jaguars in round two. Hill is a fluid linebacker with great movement skills. He can work sideline to sideline, using his speed to get to ball carriers.
Hill still needs to develop in coverage, but his athletic profile would convince one that he will eventually be a positive in the passing game. Hill could come in and start at linebacker in Jacksonville’s 4-3 scheme right away.
Perhaps a bigger need than linebacker for the Jaguars is cornerback. The team was smart to trade for Greg Newsome, but he is an impending free agent, and reinforcements are needed even if he returns to the team. Colton Hood is a cornerback from Tennessee who would thrive in the Jaguars’ system.
Hood can play in both man and zone coverage, the latter of which would be important in Jacksonville because the Jaguars were among the league leaders in running zone schemes. Hood is an instinctual player in coverage who has sound footwork. In this deep class, he should be available when the Jaguars’ first pick is on the board.
Keionte Scott is another cornerback who would fit Jacksonville’s scheme. He has a chance to further boost his draft stock, too, as Miami will take on Indiana in the College Football Playoff national championship game. Miami’s defense has tons of NFL-caliber players, but Scott is certainly one of the best.
The projected second-rounder is best off in the slot. There, he overwhelms smaller receivers, and he can even thrive as a blitzer. The Jaguars could move...
