Waiting all night on April 23 during the first round and all day on April 24 until they are on the clock with the 56th overall pick in the NFL Draft?
No biggie for Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone and coach Liam Coen.
Remember, they were once employed by the Los Angeles Rams.
Gladstone: “Liam has been through it before.”
Coen: “Waited a lot longer (than No. 56).”
Gladstone: “(One year), 104 was our first pick.”
Gladstone worked in the Rams’ front office from 2016-24 and Coen was on the coaching staff from 2018-20 and 2022.
From 2016-24, the Rams’ initial draft picks were first, 44th, 89th, 61st, 52nd, 57th, 104th, 36th and 19th.
The Rams traded first-round picks in deals for quarterback Jared Goff (2017), receiver Brandin Cooks (2018), cornerback Jalen Ramsey (2020-21) and quarterback Matthew Stafford (2022-23). The Rams traded down and out of the first round in 2019 (No. 31 to 45).
The Rams were in constant go-for-it mode, trading up to No. 1 for Goff to make sure the draft went through Los Angeles and trading two firsts apiece to Jacksonville for Ramsey and to Detroit for Stafford. The Rams won the Super Bowl after the 2021 season.
Waiting, though, is new for the Jaguars and their fans.
The Jaguars have never finished a draft without a first-round pick. Expect that to change this month.
The latest the Jaguars have had their initial pick was 29th in 2000 (receiver R. Jay Soward) and 2018 (defensive lineman Taven Bryan), two colossal busts.
As the picks get announced on April 23-24, Gladstone said the Jaguars, who don’t do mock drafts, will talk through scenarios.
“You’re never bored,” Gladstone said. “You’re always thinking through what we might be able to do. The mental gymnastics certainly is an engaging element regardless of where your first pick is.”
About the Jaguars
1. Locals in draft: Hat tip to Dane Brugler from The Athletic for his annual draft guide (“The Beast”), which checked in at 629 pages.
Where Brugler has Jacksonville area players rated: Carson Beck (sixth-ranked quarterback, projected rounds 4-5), Austin Barber (11th-ranked offensive tackle, rounds 3-4), Joshua Braun (26th-ranked guard, round 7-free agency), Jack Pyburn (28th-ranked edge, round 6) and Jason Canady (17th-ranked cornerback, rounds 4-5).
2. Roster math: The Jaguars currently have 65 players under contract, leaving them 25 roster spots for their draft class, undrafted free agents and veteran additions.
About UF football
1. Recruiting win: The Gators received terrific recruiting news on April 8 when offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller of Coatesville, Pa., committed to UF’s 2027 class.
Hiller (6-foot-5 and 300 pounds) is ranked fifth overall nationally and the No. 1 offensive tackle per 247Sports. The Gators were one of his eight SEC offers.
This is a boon for new coach Jon Sumrall, who hired UF alum Phil Trautwein away from Penn State as offensive line coach. Hiller told Swamp247 that he wouldn’t have visited UF had Trautwein not been on the staff.
2. No TV for spring game: I plan on making the drive to Gainesville for the Gators’ spring game (Saturday, April 11), partly to watch quarterbacks Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr., and partly because the game isn’t on live television for the second consecutive year. SEC Network on Saturday is choosing to air multiple softball and baseball games live.
At least Sumrall favors playing a spring game in front of fans. LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Missouri aren’t playing a spring game.
That said, new coaches trying to generate buzz and NIL donations, should make sure fans from throughout the state and region get a chance to watch their team on television even in a tape delayed format.
Extra points
1. Big day for UNF: North Florida’s Giving Day generated 1,966 donations totaling $652,515.88 for its athletic department initiatives. The donor number was an event record and the dollar number the second-highest.
The money is not used for NIL/revenue share purposes. For example, the women’s basketball team asked for donations to take a foreign tour in 2027 and the men’s basketball team donations for a sleeping pod in the locker room and an additional two training table meals per week.
2. NASCAR returns: After last weekend off, NASCAR is back on-track April 12 at Bristol, one of my bucket-list sporting venues to eventually get to. I cut some of my journalistic teeth as a teenager going to the half-mile Red River Valley Speedway every Friday night and I still have the short-track bug.
Bristol may be just what Kyle Larson and his No. 5 need. Larson, the defending series champion, has a 31-race victory drought, the longest of his career driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
In seven races, Larson has more finishes of 32nd or worse (two) than in the top five (one). He is ninth in the points standings, but has three career wins at Bristol, including last spring.
Contact O’Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars’ James Gladstone, Liam Coen used to waiting in NFL draft
Reporting by Ryan O’Halloran, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
