Jaguars Putting Unique Draft Process on Display Once Again

Jacksonville takes an unconventional approach to scouting prospects ahead of the NFL Draft.

Mar. 22, 2026 at 2:34pm

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are once again bucking the trend when it comes to their offseason draft process. The team did not attend Vanderbilt's pro day this week, breaking from the norm of most NFL franchises. This is just the latest example of the Jaguars' unique approach, which also includes not participating in top-30 visits with prospects. General manager James Gladstone has explained the team's rationale, emphasizing that they prefer to gather information through other avenues like film evaluation and sourced intel from a player's past.

Why it matters

The Jaguars' unorthodox draft process has raised eyebrows around the league, but the team believes it gives them a competitive advantage. By avoiding the traditional pro day and top-30 visit circuit, they can keep potential insights about players they're interested in more private. This approach is part of the Jaguars' broader strategy of building their roster through unconventional means.

The details

The Jaguars did not have representatives at Vanderbilt's pro day this week, even though 31 other NFL teams were in attendance. However, this doesn't mean the Jaguars aren't scouting Vanderbilt prospects like tight end Eli Stowers, as they did speak with him at the NFL Scouting Combine last month. Gladstone has explained that the team prefers to gather information through film evaluation, sourced intel from a player's past, and other avenues rather than relying heavily on pro days and top-30 visits. He believes this helps avoid potential biases that can arise late in the evaluation process.

  • The Jaguars did not participate in top-30 visits last year, breaking from standard NFL practice.
  • This week, the Jaguars were the only team not represented at Vanderbilt's pro day.

The players

James Gladstone

The general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who has explained the team's unique approach to the draft process.

Eli Stowers

A tight end prospect from Vanderbilt who the Jaguars spoke with at the NFL Scouting Combine.

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What they’re saying

“Yeah, some of those we like to keep in-house and private because we feel it's a version of a competitive advantage, while at the same time you can look towards the traditional metrics, ways of going about understanding who a person is from an intangible standpoint.”

— James Gladstone, General Manager, Jacksonville Jaguars

“I think there's a lot of layers to not doing those facility visits that you all are accustomed to, top 30 visits as they're phrased. It goes back a while in my experience.”

— James Gladstone, General Manager, Jacksonville Jaguars

What’s next

The Jaguars' unique draft process will continue to be a topic of discussion as the 2026 NFL Draft approaches. It remains to be seen if their unconventional approach will give them a competitive edge in finding talent.

The takeaway

The Jacksonville Jaguars have established a reputation for bucking traditional NFL scouting methods, preferring to gather information through their own proprietary channels. This unorthodox strategy is part of the team's broader effort to build a roster in an unconventional way, which could pay dividends if they are able to uncover hidden gems in the draft.