Even after trading a fourth-round and sixth-round pick for Jakobi Meyers, the Jacksonville Jaguars still have almost a dozen 2026 NFL Draft picks. Though they don’t have a first-round pick, could the Jaguars still acquire impact players next April? Let’s take a look.
Jacksonville Jaguars Projected to Have Eleven 2026 NFL Draft Picks
Earlier today, it was reported by NFL insider Adam Schefter that the Jaguars traded a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for the veteran wide receiver Meyers.
Even after this trade, the Jaguars still have 11 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here is their current list of picks:
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 3 (via DET)
- Round 3 (via DET)
- Round 4
- Round 5
- Round 5 (via PHI)
- Round 6 (via PHI)
- Round 7
- Round 7 (via HOU)
- Round 7 (via DET)
The Jaguars are 5-3 and in the hunt for one of three AFC Wild Card spots. It always made sense that they’d be buyers at the trade deadline, and the dire need for quality WR play further magnified that reality (especially after Travis Hunter’s injury).
Meyers — a 1,000-yard receiver in 2024 — gives the Jaguars a much-needed boost in the short-term, but he is still a free agent in 2026 pending an extension. This, combined with Brian Thomas Jr.’s sudden and stark regression, and Dyami Brown’s inconsistent play, leaves WR as a potential need among several others for the Jaguars in the middle rounds.
Elsewhere on offense, Travis Etienne’s expiring contract makes RB a position worth monitoring once again, while offensive line depth could be a target as well.
On defense, defensive tackle looms largest with Arik Armstead aging and DaVon Hamilton’s contract up in 2026. Cornerback and safety also bear noting, as Greg Newsome II hasn’t yet received an extension, and starting safety Andrew Wingard is a free agent in 2025.
Taking the Jaguars’ needs and mid-round draft capital into account, here are some 2026 NFL Draft prospects they could target next April.
Potential 2026 NFL Draft Prospects for Jaguars to Target
AJ Haulcy, S, LSU
AJ Haulcy snagged five interceptions and eight pass breakups with Houston in 2024, before transferring to LSU. With the Tigers, he’s retained his high level of play, while doing so on a bigger stage. The 6’0″, 215-pound safety has an enthralling blend of coverage mobility, transition fluidity, reaction speed, ball skills, and sturdiness in support.
Haulcy might not have elite reduction freedom at his weight, but he can sink and redirect well enough, and he’s disciplined managing route concepts overtop and quick to break when he keys in on QB intent.
Just as quick as he can nab interceptions, Haulcy can also lay the boom with hard hits coming downhill. He shouldn’t be used in man coverage often, and he can still shore up his tackling technique, but a starting NFL role is in his future.
Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke
Chandler Rivers is one prospect I’m much higher on than the consensus. He’ll likely be a Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he has the profile to be an impact starter early in his NFL career. He’s a bit underweight at 5’10”, 185 pounds, but he nonetheless competes in all phases.
Rivers is explosive and fluid in off-man and zone, with elite processing, route recognition, and spatial IQ. He can effortlessly carry, pass off routes, and manage route relationships, and he has the versatility to play the boundary, the slot, blitz from depth, and surge downhill in run support for stops behind the line.
Rivers has everything you want outside of size — athleticism, intelligence, toughness, technical refinement, and versatility — and he offers playmaking ability as well.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could be a compelling option for the Jaguars’ first or second selection.
At 6’3″, 209 pounds, with over 32″ arms, McNeil-Warren’s first specialty is his support play. He’s a supremely explosive, springy mover on both the lateral and vertical planes, and with his length and play strength, he can surge into gaps, engage blocks with force, and make solo tackles with ease.
That said, don’t be the one to make the mistake of billing McNeil-Warren as a “support only” safety. In spite of his size, he’s active and fluid managing space in two-high, he has a tight and efficient pedal, and he’s excellent in the red zone, where he can anticipate and snuff out delayed route concepts.
Mateen Ibirogba, DT, Wake Forest
Ibirogba’s first step is lethal at 6’3″, 296 pounds. The FCS transfer teleports off the snap and can use his hyper-elite explosiveness to rocket up gaps as a rusher, or teleport across-face in the run game.
Beyond sheer explosion, Ibirogba has shown he can leverage his burst, length, and compact mass into overwhelming power output on bull-rushes and long-arms, and he can also puncture run gaps and use “knee drop” technique to absorb combo blocks.
Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
Some players simply have an instinct for playing wide receiver, and Sarratt falls under that category. Though he’s not an elite vertical athlete at 6’2″, 209 pounds, Sarratt has good hip sink, good speed, and throttle control, and he knows how to offset defenders and work through stems to create space for himself.
Beyond that, Sarratt is a true master of catch-point control and timing. He uses his frame proactively to box out, he uses late hands to avoid keying in defenders, and he has the flow-state body control and coordination to make tight, high-difficulty catches look second nature. He’d give Trevor Lawrence a versatile, high-floor target.