JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The 2026 NFL draft has begun in Pittsburgh. The three-day event continues with Rounds 4-7 on Saturday (noon ET).
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted tight end Nate Boerkircher with their first pick of the draft in the second round.
A full list of Jaguars’ selections is below, and will be updated with pick-by-pick analysis through the weekend.
Round 2, No. 56 overall: Nate Boerkircher, TE, Texas A&M
My take: A bit of a head scratcher because he’s essentially the same player as current backups Hunter Long and Quintin Morris, though much less effective as a receiver. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Boerkircher is a blocker with only 38 career catches for 417 yards and four touchdowns in four years at Nebraska and one at Texas A&M. His best season as a receiver was 2025, when he caught 19 passes for 198 yards. Boerkircher was Mel Kiper Jr.’s sixth-ranked tight end and Scouts Inc.’s 159th overall player, so taking him in the second round is a reach.
Is this a pick for depth or does it fill a hole?: Jaguars coach Liam Coen likes using multiple tight end formations and that’s where Boerkircher will fit in behind starter Brenton Strange. Boerkircher won’t give them much in the pass game, but he should help a run game that dropped off late in the season. That’s if he’s active on game day; the Jaguars are unlikely to keep four tight ends active.
Round 3, No. 81: Albert Regis, DT, Texas A&M
My take: Interior defensive line was among the Jaguars’ biggest needs, and they address it for the first time in the draft with the 6-foot-1, 295-pound Regis, who played both nose tackle and three-technique at Texas A&M. He had 116 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and 10 pass breakups in five seasons. He won’t provide much in terms of pass rush, but he showed the ability to shed blockers and make plays in the run game at the line of scrimmage.
Will he start as a rookie: Nose guard DaVon Hamilton is coming off arguably the best season of his career and DT Arik Armstead — if he’s not a post-June 1 salary cap cut — would be the starting three-technique, so Regis will fit somewhere in the rotation along with Matt Dickerson and Ruke Orhorhoro, whom the team acquired from Atlanta last week in exchange for defensive tackle Maason Smith.
My take: Pregnon is an ultra-experienced player — 51 starts at three schools (Wyoming, USC and Oregon) and more than 3,000 snaps — and has played both right and left guard. He was a first-team All-American in his only season at Oregon, where he finished third among all guards with an 85.8 run blocking grade and seventh with an 88.1 pass blocking grade, per PFF. He was a key part of an Oregon offense that surpassed 200 yards rushing seven times and 300 yards twice.
When will he be expected to get regular playing time?: The Jaguars drafted guard Wyatt Milum in the third round in 2025, signed guard Patrick Mekari in free agency and have left guard Ezra Cleveland under contract for one more season, so there will be a lot of competition for playing time. Milum and Mekari also can play tackle, so that could open up an opportunity for Pregnon if there are injuries.
Round 3, No. 100: Jalen Huskey, DB, Maryland
My take: The Jaguars have Huskey listed at safety, and that is an interesting position for the team because last year’s second-round pick, Caleb Ransaw, missed the entire season with a foot injury, and Eric Murray is 32 years old. Antonio Johnson, who came on in the second half of last season, is entering the final year of his contract as well. So the Jaguars definitely needed to add there, and they took a player in Huskey who had 11 interceptions and 10 pass breakups in the last three seasons.
When will he be expected to get regular playing time?: The Jaguars expect Ransaw to win a starting job and if Johnson continues to play at the level he did late last season an extension and starting spot could be in play. Murray was signed as a stop-gap starter but even if he doesn’t start, he’ll play a lot because of what the team calls his elite communication skills. Add in special teams standout Rayuan Lane III, who saw some snaps on defense, and Huskey may have a hard time getting on the field.
What’s next: The Jaguars have seven picks on Saturday, including two in the fifth and three in the seventh round. Areas that still need addressing include edge rusher, a big wide receiver and backup quarterback. Edge would be the most important because the team needs a third option behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker outside, which would allow Walker to move inside at time on third downs.
Remaining picks
Round 4: No. 124
Round 5: No. 164
Round 5: No. 166
Round 6: No. 203
Round 7: No. 233
Round 7: No. 240
Round 7: No. 245
