JACKSONVILLE – This week was more of the same – with a splash of skill.
This is the sixth 2026 jaguars.com mock draft tracker – and defense, particularly linebacker, remained a main area of focus for prominent analysts projecting the Jaguars early in the rapidly-approaching 2026 NFL Draft.
Six of the seven analysts in this week's tracker projected a defensive player at No. 56 overall in Round 2 of the '26 draft, which will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Also projected there: Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price, an explosive runner and returner who was an All-America selection this past season.
The Jaguars do not have a first-round selection in the '26 draft, having traded it the deal to acquire wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter No. 2 overall in the '25 draft.
Players projected this week to the Jaguars at No. 56 include: Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, Price, Texas Tech defensive lineman Lee Hunter, Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange, Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks and Auburn edge Keyron Crawford.
Here's a look at the Jaguars' 11 selections in the '26 draft:
Round 2 (No. 56 overall, original Jaguars selection), Round 3 (No. 81, acquired in a trade with the Detroit Lions), Round 3 (No. 88, Jaguars), Round 3 (No. 100, Detroit Lions special compensatory), Round 4 (No. 124, Jaguars), Round 5 (No. 164, Jaguars), Round 5 (No. 166, from San Francisco 49ers through Philadelphia Eagles), Round 6 (No. 203, Eagles through Houston Texans through Eagles), Round 7 (No. 233, Lions), Round 7 (No. 240, Jaguars), Round 7 (No. 245, Los Angeles Rams through Texans).
Here's the sixth jaguars.com 2026 mock draft tracker, with a look at players analysts believe the Jaguars may select No. 56 overall:
Deontae Lawson, linebacker, 6-2, 228, Alabama
- Briefly: Played at Alabama 2021-2025. Second-team All-Southeastern Conference 2025. Redshirt senior. Registered 6.5 career sacks, including 1.5 as a senior with 16 career passes defensed, three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles with 19 career tackles for loss.
- Analyst: Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports.
- Date: March 30.
- Other players projected to the Jaguars in Wilson's March 30 three-round mock: Chris McClellan, defensive lineman, Missouri (Round 3); Genesis Smith, safety, Arizona (Round 3); Brenen Thompson, wide receiver, Mississippi State (Round 3).
Jacob Rodriguez, linebacker, 6-1, 230, Texas Tech
- Briefly: Played at Virginia in 2021 before playing for Texas Tech in 2022-2025. Won Chuck Bednarik (nation's top defensive player), Butkus (top linebacker), Lombardi (top linebacker or lineman) and Bronko Nagurski (outstanding defensive player) awards in 2025 when he finished fifth in Heisman Trophy balloting. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year 2025.
- Analyst: Matt Miller, ESPN.
- Date: March 30.
- Miller comment: "He's a heady, downhill player who captained the Texas Tech defense and is ready to be a green-dot linebacker in the NFL."
- Other players projected to the Jaguars in Miller's March 30 seven-round mock: Bud Clark, safety, Texas Christian (Round 3); TJ Hall, cornerback, Iowa (Round 3); Emmett Johnson, running back, Nebraska (Round 3); Josh Cameron, wide receiver, Baylor (Round 4); Gracen Halton, defensive tackle, Oklahoma (Round 5); Alex Harkey, offensive tackle, Oregon (Round 5); DJ Campbell, guard, Texas (Round 6); Avery Smith, CB, Toledo (Round 7); James Thompson Jr., defensive tackle, Illinois (Round 7); Ar'maj Reed-Adams, guard, Texas A&M (Round 7).
Jadarian Price, running back, 5-11, 203, Notre Dame
- Briefly: Played 2022-2025 at Notre Dame and was a first-team All-America selection as a returner in 2025. Rushed for 1,692 yards and 21 touchdowns on 280 career carries. Returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2025 and three in his career. Early-entry junior.
- Analyst: Ryan Moran, Pro Football Network.
- Date: March 30.
- Other players projected to the Jaguars in Wilson's March 30 three-round mock: Kyle Louis, linebacker, Pittsburgh (Round 3); Bud Clark, safety, Texas Christian (Round 3); Bryce Lance, wide receiver, North Dakota State (Round 3).
Lee Hunter, defensive lineman, 6-3, 330, Texas Tech
- Briefly: Played at Auburn 2021, Central Florida 2022-2024 and Texas Tech 2025. First-team All-America and first-team All-Big 12 2025. Second-team All-Big 12 2024. Redshirt senior. Registered 32 career tackles for loss with 7.5 career sacks, including 10.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks as a senior.
- Analyst: Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network. Date: March 28.
- Cummings comment: "Accurately nicknamed 'the Fridge,' Hunter has the frame density, stacking strength and relentless motor to man the fulcrum with aplomb in odd and hybrid-front alignments."
- Other players projected to the Jaguars in Cummings' March 28 seven-round mock: Kaleb Elarms-Orr, linebacker, Texas Christian (Round 3); R Mason Thomas, edge, Oklahoma (Round 3); Seth McGowan, running back, Kentucky (Round 3); Brenan Thompson, wide receiver, Mississippi State (Round 4); Diego Pounds, offensive tackle, Mississippi (Round 5); Tyler Onyedim, defensive tackle, Texas A&M (Round 5); Will Kacmarek, tight end, Ohio State (Round 6); Luke Altmyer, quarterback, Illinois (Round 7); Delby Lemieux, offensive lineman, Dartmouth (Round 7); Collin Right, running back, Stanford (Round 7).
Domonique Orange, defensive lineman, 6-4, 325, Iowa State
- Briefly: Played at Iowa State 2022-2025. Third-team All-Big 12 selection 2025. Registered seven career tackles for loss with a sack and 66 tackles with 32 solos.
- Analyst: Josh Edwards, CBS Sports. Date: March 26.
- Edwards comment: Jacksonville adds some mass to the defensive interior with the selection of "Big Citrus," a fitting addition for the team from Florida.
Caleb Banks, defensive lineman, 6-6, 327, Florida
- Briefly: Played at Louisville 2021-2022 and Florida 2023-2025. Redshirt senior. Registered 10.5 career tackles for loss with 6.5 sacks, including seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2024 – his final full collegiate season.
- Analyst: Jacob Infante, Pro Football Network. Date: March 25.
- Infante comment: "Though Banks played in just three games in 2025 due to injury, and he suffered another broken foot at the [NFL Scouting] Combine, he's shown enough elite flashes on tape during his time at Florida to warrant an early-round selection. He's a 6-feet-6, 325-pound interior lineman with more pass-rush juice than expected for a player his size, giving him a very high ceiling at the NFL level. Banks is powerful and disruptive, passing down value to entice scouts.
Keyron Crawford, edge, 6-4, 255, Auburn
- Briefly: Played at Arkansas State 2022-2023 and at Auburn 2024-2025. Third-team All-Southeastern Conference 2025. Registered 24 career tackles for loss with 11.5 sacks, including 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks as a senior.
- Analyst: Field Yates, ESPN. Date: March 24.
- Yates comment: "He played just one year of high school football before joining Arkansas State, so he is still coming into his own as a player. Crawford is electric turning the corner on offensive tackles and was more impactful than Keldric Faulk for Auburn in 2025."
