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2025 NFL Draft position preview: Should Jacksonville Jaguars keep fortifying their OL?
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- 2025 NFL Draft position preview: Should Jacksonville Jaguars keep fortifying their OL?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are wrapping up their NFL Draft preparations and are ready to make the first selection of the Liam Coen -James Gladstone era.
The two newbies were hired as head coach and general manager, respectively, after owner Shad Khan parted ways with Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke . The new braintrust is led by new, old Jag, Tony Boselli, who has taken the role of executive vice president of football operations.
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The Jaguars enter the 2025 NFL Draft with 10 total selections, including six picks in the first four rounds. That includes two selections in the third round and two in the fourth, in addition to first and second-round picks.
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Gladstone has spoken about the value of retaining numerous draft picks and believes in building through the draft as a principle.
"That's my experience most recently with the Los Angeles Rams and that's something I feel I have a unique capacity to take on with the current position that we hold, which is 10 picks this year, 11 picks next year," Gladstone said after free agency when asked about building through the draft as a philosophy.
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"So, with pro-free agency, we wanted to set ourselves up so that we feel like we have the flexibility to address any position we want to at any pick point that lies on the horizon and it feels like we're currently in a position to do just that."
That'll begin on April 24 at 8 p.m. when the first round of the draft kicks off. And it won't be long until the Jaguars are on the clock with the fifth-overall pick, a position they've found themselves in before .
2025 NFL Draft: Top-five offensive linemen
Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; LSU Tigers offensive tackle Will Campbell (66) warms up before a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
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Will Campbell , LSU, 6-foot-6, 319 pounds, projected top 5-10
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Armand Membou , Missouri, 6-foot-4, 332 pounds, projected top 5-10
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Josh Simmons , Ohio State, 6-foot-5, 317 pounds, projected mid-late first-early second round
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Tyler Booker , Alabama, 6-foot-5, 321 pounds, projected mid-late first-early second round
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Kelvin Banks Jr , Texas, 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, projected mid-late first-early second round
Jaguars current offensive line room has no clear long-term player
Jacksonville Jaguars linemen huddle against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Jaguars are entering a precarious, but fortunate situation under Coen and Gladstone. The franchise is not completely devoid of talent at key positions, particularly at left and right tackle.
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Expected starting left tackle Walker Little signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract extension late last year. The deal includes $25.944 million guaranteed. His base salary of $8.5 million this year is fully guaranteed. Essentially, he's the team starter this year, barring a trade. Walker's $11 million base salary is fully guaranteed next year, too.
At right tackle, the Jaguars invested a first-round pick in Anton Harrison during the 2023 NFL Draft. Harrison has had an up-and-down career thus far in Jacksonville, showcasing talent late during his rookie year and extending it into 2024. Still, he has yet to prove to be a long-term solution at the position.
The same can be said for Little, who has started 25 games throughout his career, including eight last year after Cam Robinson went down with an injury. Still, Little has never started a full season with Jacksonville and is a question mark heading into the season.
The team's left guard, Ezra Cleveland , is entering the second year of a three-year deal that included three void years on top of it. Cleveland's contract is not unbreakable in 2026, however, and his roster spot isn't guaranteed.
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Will Jaguars' offensive line investment continue in the draft?
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 28: Tyler Booker #52 of the Alabama Crimson Tide lines up to block against Nazir Stackhouse #78 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2024 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
There's perhaps no position group better suited to kick off the Times-Union's 2025 NFL Draft position preview series than offensive line. The reasoning is two-fold: Boselli is a Hall of Fame offensive lineman and the Jaguars emphasized, preached and followed through with their plans to bolster the team's offensive line through free agency and beyond.
The Jaguars signed right guard Patrick Mekari and followed up by signing center Robert Hainsey . Both players are slated to start at their respective positions. The Jaguars also signed two other offensive linemen for depth purposes in Fred Johnson and Chuma Edoga .
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The Jaguars will almost certainly continue to upgrade their offensive line, but it doens't have to be as early as fifth-overall even with future uncertainty hanging over their heads.
The Jaguars have shown interest in multiple offensive linemen during the pre-draft process. That includes larger figures and lesser-known players such as Arkansas State center Jacob Bayer.
Selecting Campbell or another top lineman at fifth-overall won't come as a shock, but given what the team did during free agency, it shouldn't be given the Boselli double lock .
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: NFL Draft preview: Jacksonville Jaguars OL investing could continue
