{"id":282956,"date":"2026-05-12T11:00:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=282956"},"modified":"2026-05-12T10:49:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T14:49:35","slug":"jaguars-rookies-projections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/05\/12\/jaguars-rookies-projections\/","title":{"rendered":"Projecting 2026 Jaguars Rookies Performances"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jacksonville’s draft was a hotly debated topic<\/a> as many questioned if the organization truly got better. Experts and fans alike tried to map out the players\u2019 skill set and how they would fit into an already talented team. Now, it’s time to project how the Jaguars rookies will perform, their role on the team, and how long they remain in the league.<\/p>\n

Projecting 2026 Jaguars Rookies Performances<\/h2>\n

Nate Boerkircher<\/h3>\n

The Jaguars tight end depth chart is not one that will be difficult to climb. Outside of Brenton Strange, there is nobody else that provides the necessary blocking or pass catching abilities. While Boerkircher<\/a> is raw and will need time to develop as a pass catcher, he will bring much-needed physicality as a blocker in the run game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jacksonville have stayed consistent on wanting to use 12 and 13 personnel more, which is where Boerkircher will fit in perfectly. As one of the Jaguars rookies, he won\u2019t be a star player or put up eye popping stats, but he will get a second contract in the league and carve out a role for himself.<\/p>\n

Albert Regis<\/h3>\n

Albert Regis<\/a> has a unique place in the Jaguars defense. He excels at stopping the run, but much like Boerkircher, is raw as a pass rusher and will need time to develop.<\/p>\n

With DaVon Hamilton and Arik Armstead<\/a> playing on the final year of their contracts, Regis will see more playing time in the future. Still, Jacksonville has three pass rushers better than Regis, which will make it difficult for him, among other Jaguars rookies, to become a three-down player.<\/p>\n

Regis\u2019s ceiling is relatively low, but he has a high floor with his skillset as a run defender. He will play in the league for several years and earn a second contract with the team as a rotational defensive tackle.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel Pregnon<\/h3>\n

Emmanuel Pregnon<\/a> may not play many snaps in his rookie year, but he will be the best player of the Jaguars’ draft class and be the team\u2019s long-term guard. Pregnon was a top offensive lineman as a run and pass blocker and will be an instant upgrade along the Jaguars interior offensive line to help protect Trevor Lawrence. Pregnon will be a multi-time Pro Bowler, and will play for seven to 10 years, earning a second and third contract with the Jaguars.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Jalen Huskey<\/h3>\n

In a crowded safety room, Jalen Huskey<\/a> will have a tough time making his way up the depth chart, but there is a role for him as one of the Jaguars rookies. Anthony Campanile\u2019s scheme utilizes a high number of blitzes from safeties. Andrew Wingard blitzed a career-high 38 times in 2025.<\/p>\n

Now that Wingard is no longer on the team, Huskey could fill in this role as a strong safety, playing closer to the line of scrimmage as a blitzer and run defender. Huskey struggles with open field speed in coverage, but is a willing and physical tackler, which the Jaguars could utilize in certain situations. Huskey will be a nice depth piece and could find a role on special teams but will not get a second contract.<\/p>\n

Wesley Williams<\/h3>\n

Travon Walker battled injuries and missed three games in 2025. He played just 59% of defensive snaps, and his impact was clearly missing. Wesley Williams<\/a>, while far from a perfect player, could have a place as a backup edge behind Walker and Josh Hines-Allen.<\/p>\n

Williams also excels on special teams, recording five blocked kicks in his college career. He will get a second contract in the league but will only provide impact as a rotational lineman and special teamer.<\/p>\n

Tanner Koziol<\/h3>\n

With the Jaguars electing not to re-sign wide receiver Tim Patrick in free agency, Tanner Koziol<\/a> can slide in perfectly as the team\u2019s big-bodied depth pass catcher. The Jaguars had their inconsistencies in the red zone, largely because they did not have a true threat at contested catches.<\/p>\n

Koziol does not possess the blocking capabilities of Brenton Strange or Nate Boerkircher, but he offers an instant-impact ability as a pass catcher and will help open up the offense. Koziol will be an impactful player as one of the Jaguars rookies and get a second contract with the team.<\/p>\n

Josh Cameron<\/h3>\n

Josh Cameron<\/a> will enter one of the most crowded wide receiver rooms in the NFL. He will have to climb the ladder on special teams before getting serious playing time. In his final two years in college, he caught 19 touchdowns. He is a dynamic player in the red zone and would be another good addition to the Jaguars offense near the end zone. Cameron will get a second contract in the league but will not be a consistently impactful player.<\/p>\n

C.J. Williams<\/h3>\n

C.J. Williams<\/a> is another player that will have to earn a roster spot through special teams. Williams had a career season in his final year at Stanford, but will face an uphill climb to make the team. Williams will not finish his rookie contract and will be out of the league in two or three years.<\/p>\n

Zach Durfee<\/h3>\n

Despite playing just 17 games in college, Zach Durfee<\/a> racked up 8.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. As a seventh-round pick, he will have to excel on special teams just to make the roster as one of the Jaguars rookies. If he can make the roster, he could find a role in pass-rushing situations in a thin linebacker room. Durfee will get a second contract in the league as a depth linebacker.<\/p>\n

Parker Hughes<\/h3>\n

Parker Hughes<\/a> played five seasons at Middle Tennessee State and put up respectable numbers. Still, he will have a tough hill to climb to make the team. Hughes will be a practice squad player before being out of the league within three years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jacksonville’s draft was a hotly debated topic as many questioned if the organization truly got better. Experts and fans alike tried to map out the players\u2019 skill set and how they would fit into an already talented team. Now, it’s time to project how the Jaguars rookies will perform, their role on the team, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5773,"featured_media":263975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[34006,7335,34395],"class_list":["post-282956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jaguars","tag-emmanuel-pregnon","tag-jacksonville-jaguars-news","tag-nate-boerkircher"],"modified_by":"Drew VonScio","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5773"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282956"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":282962,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282956\/revisions\/282962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}