JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Like every team in April, the Jacksonville Jaguars have holes to fill on their roster.
They need to improve the pass rush, both on edge and the interior, for example. Replacing linebacker Devin Lloyd, who left in free agency, and finding another tight end to pair with Brenton Strange is important, too.
But the Jaguars' approach in the upcoming draft won't be focused solely on need.
General manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen agree the Jaguars' roster is in good enough shape that they can take a true "best player available" approach with their 11 picks, which all come in Rounds 2-7.
"It's, 'Hey, man, we can draft best players available wherever we're at,'" Coen said. "Now, there's some positions that we would love to get an impact contributor at a few positions, obviously, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, right? But that doesn't mean we're going to shy away from taking a damn good offensive player in the second round either."
Those impact positions include defensive end, defensive tackle, and linebacker. The Jaguars signed defensive end Travon Walker to a three-year extension earlier this month and defensive end Josh Hines-Allen is under contract through the 2028 season. Those two combined for 11.5 sacks last season -- Walker, who had 20.5 sacks in the previous two seasons, was hindered by wrist and knee injuries -- and the Jaguars want to find a third edge rusher.