James Gladstone Called 'Arrogant' as NFL Execs Sound Off on Jaguars' 2026 NFL Draft Picks

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone is having his draft strategy criticized by rival executives for the second year in a row, The Athletic's Mike Sando reported Friday.

Sando reported last May that other NFL executives questioned Gladstone's decision to trade up and draft Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick of the 2025 draft.

This year, multiple executives expressed doubt to Sando about a 2026 draft class led by tight end Nate Boerkircher, defensive tackle Albert Regis and offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon.

"I did not like what Jacksonville did at all," one executive told Sando. "Their picks reflect numbers — workouts, pro days, that kind of stuff — more than the film. 'We are going to be smarter than everybody else.' It was a traits draft for them."

Multiple executives brought up Gladstone's attitude when discussing his draft strategy with Sando.

Gladstone, who said last year Hunter served as "a reminder that the boundaries of football were built to be challenged," told reporters last week the Jags were "able to nail" all 10 of their draft selection.

One executive told Sando about the Jaguars: "The GM's bravado is outsized for their accomplishments, and the world loves to punish that. But it's paradoxical that it's the analytics community, which has now rallied around the public consensus board as being right, that is the one that wants to punish him."

Another executive said, per Sando: "I thought there was going to be a lot of tight ends drafted as a result of Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan and Ben Johnson schemes. I really like Boerkircher, and it's funny how much heat Jacksonville was getting for their draft. I like that their GM is being kind of arrogant about it. That is more the theater of the whole thing."

The Jaguars received a 2026 NFL draft grade of D from Bleacher Report NFL scouts.

B/R NFL scouts noted that Boerkircher, the No. 185 prospect on the B/R board, was a relatively low-ranked selection to start out a draft in which Gladstone had already given up a first-round pick to acquire Hunter.

"Of course, it's clear that GM James Gladstone doesn't care about perceived value. Based on value, though—and the fact that Hunter's rookie season largely disappointed—it's hard to love his approach," the B/R NFL scouting department wrote.

Gladstone, who will turn 35 in June, is the youngest general manager in the NFL.

The Jaguars reached the playoffs in his first season with the franchise, although the team was eliminated from the postseason with a Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Whether Hunter is able to take a step forward both as a top cornerback and a target for Trevor Lawrence this season could impact both the league's perception of Gladstone and whether the Jaguars are able to build on that campaign with a deeper playoff run in 2026.