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Why Jacksonville Jaguars welcome challenge of probably leading NFL in rookies in 2025
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- Why Jacksonville Jaguars welcome challenge of probably leading NFL in rookies in 2025
The Jacksonville Jaguars have 10 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft , but everyone's eyes will be on the team's moves after the draft.
Jacksonville has the most unused roster slots ahead of the draft, giving them the most slots to use on undrafted free agents during the post-draft mayhem.
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According to OverTheCap , the Jaguars will have 21 UDFA spots available after the draft, with 59 players on the roster as of April and 10 draft picks on the docket. The next-highest team, the Minnesota Vikings , has 20 projected UDFA spots due to their low draft capital at just four picks.
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Jacksonville's roster isn't bare, but the team's new brass wasn't quiet about the team's plan during free agency — to raise the roster's floor.
"What we were seeking during pro-free agency was to raise the floor of this football team, and every player that we pursued and that we've now acquired is meeting that standard," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said in March.
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"By being nothing more than who they are and who we know them to be, both on and off the field, they're going to do exactly what we would hope they'd do and that's level up this ecosystem."
Jaguars won't be shy about playing rookies early
Jul 31, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jared Verse (8) and defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) listen to head coach Sean McVay during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Now, with the draft next up to fill out the team's roster, the Jaguars are looking forward to young players raising the floor, too. Something Gladstone feels can be done at every position in the draft, if the team needs to. And it appears the team is more than fine with having those players play significant snaps early on.
"Yeah, quite frankly, I think that every Draft, there ends up being players that are very good at all positions from start to finish," Gladstone said in April.
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"I think that that probably doesn't come as a surprise when you look at the most recent drafts that I've been a part of, especially with those day-three selections, even those undrafted college free agents, who in Los Angeles had played a high volume of snaps and contributed in a significant way early in their rookie contract."
Among 10 selections in last year's draft for the Los Angeles Rams , seven draftees played at least 25% of their respective sides of the ball, including the team's rookie kicker, Joshua Karty .
Here are the team's rookie draft pick snap counts in order of number of snaps played:
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C Beaux Limmer (917 snaps, 84.13%, sixth round)
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DL Jared Verse (834 snaps, 74.80%, first round)
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DL Braden Fiske (661 snaps, 59.28%, second round)
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S Kameren Kinchens (514 snaps, 46.10%, third round)
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DL Tyler Davis (299 snaps, 26.82%, sixth round)
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WR Jordan Whittington (278 snaps, 25.50%, sixth round)
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K Joshua Karty (kicker, sixth round)
From an undrafted perspective, the Rams utilized multiple players for at least 13.81% of the team's snaps on their respective sides of the ball. Here are the undrafted rookies who played the most snaps:
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G Justin Dedich , 206 snaps, 18.90%
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DB/S Jaylen McCollough , 355 snaps, 30.04%
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LB Omar Speights , 419 snaps, 37.58%
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DB Josh Wallace , 145 snaps, 13.81%
Among Jacksonville's nine draft picks and three undrafted free agents currently on the roster from the 2024 NFL Draft cycle, just one player on either side of the ball played more than 33% of the team's snaps: WR Brian Thomas Jr. (79.48%) and CB Jarrian Jones (58.44%).
The team's second-round pick, DL Maason Smith , played 32.11% of the team's defensive snaps.
The Jaguars also drafted a kicker who became the team's starter quickly after being selected.
Liam Coen prepared to challenge rookies, give opportunities
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen smiles during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Ultimately, the team's playing-time decisions among players on the roster will be up to head coach Liam Coen . Still, it appears the first-year head coach is in lockstep with Gladstone when it comes to the team utilizing the young players they're set to acquire.
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"It is exciting. Like I mentioned last time, a conversation we had with the staff and something that we don't want to fear whatsoever. I think, naturally, as a coach, you just go to a safe place of a veteran, which I completely respect and appreciate, but it's definitely something we're going to lean into," Coen said in April.
"The guys should be excited about it. You can continue to coach hard and get the best out of these guys when they're freshly in the league and really want to do their best. We're excited about that factor."
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The Jaguars will enter 2025 with lower expectations than previous years, but with a new leadership that is forward-thinking and not afraid to put more than typical on their rookies' plates.
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Jacksonville will kick that off during the draft, with the fifth-overall pick expected to be a tone-setter for Gladstone's tenure.
Gladstone isn't shying away from that, either. The 34-year-old general manager is embracing it.
"I think, naturally, that's absolutely where your mind goes. We've had discussions on that subject a number of times. Certainly feel really good about the pot of players right now that we're discussing, and that that would align with all the messages that we would like to send to the locker room, to our fan base, to the greater football landscape about who the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be moving forward," Gladstone said.
Jaguars 2025 NFL Draft picks
A banner advertising the 2025 NFL Draft on display in the parking lot of Lambeau Field on April 11, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have 10 picks in the 2025 NFL draft, starting with the No. 5 pick in the first round. Here's a look at each pick:
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Round 1 (5 overall)
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Round 2 (36)
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Round 3 (70)
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Round 3 (88) - trade from Minnesota
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Round 4 (107)
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Round 4 (126) - trade from Minnesota
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Round 5 (142)
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Round 6 (182)
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Round 6 (194) - trade from Seattle
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Round 7 (221)
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: Why Jacksonville Jaguars more than happy to have rookie-laden roster
