Now we’re firmly in playoff territory.
Picks 21 through 24 belong to teams that either made a brief appearance in January or believe they’re one move away from doing so. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Jacksonville Jaguars (whose selection has been traded to the Cleveland Browns) all enter draft weekend with legitimate aspirations — but also identifiable areas that could derail those ambitions.
This isn’t about overhauling a roster.
It’s about refinement.
For some, that means adding a final defensive piece to survive elite quarterbacks in the postseason. For others, it’s about protecting a franchise passer, strengthening depth in the trenches, or preparing for looming contract extensions that could reshape the roster in 2027 and beyond.
The pressure here is different from that at the top of the board. These teams can’t afford developmental luxury picks. They need contributors. Snap-eaters. Playoff-caliber depth.
And because Jacksonville’s pick now belongs to Cleveland, the ripple effects extend beyond one franchise. A win-now team selecting here changes how the back half of Round 1 unfolds.
In this batch, we break down:
- The biggest roster holes for each franchise
- Contract situations and future cap implications
- Which positions should be prioritized for veterans and rookies
- Potential fantasy football implications
These are the teams that believe they’re close — and in this part of the draft, the right selection can be the difference between another early exit and a deep postseason run.
Up next: the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Jacksonville Jaguars (pick traded to Cleveland).
Salary cap contract information provided by Spotrac.
- Fantasy Football Research & Advice
- Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- 2026 NFL Mock Drafts
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
- NFL Team Needs: Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, Titans (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Giants, Browns, Commanders, Saints (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Chiefs, Bengals, Dolphins, Cowboys (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Falcons, Ravens, Buccaneers, Colts (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Lions, Vikings, Panthers, Packers (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Jaguars (2026)
Pick 24: Jacksonville Jaguars
2026 Free Agents:
- RB: Travis Etienne
- WR: Dyami Brown, Tim Patrick, Joshua Cephus (ERFA)
- TE: Quintin Morris
- EDGE: Emmanuel Ogbah, Dennis Gardeck, Dawuane Smoot
- DL: Austin Johnson
- LB: Devin Lloyd
- CB: Greg Newsome, Christian Braswell (ERFA), Montaric Brown
- S: Andrew Wingard
2027 Free Agents:
- QB: Nick Mullens, Carter Bradley (ERFA)
- RB: DeeJay Dallas, Ja’Quinden Jackson (ERFA)
- WR: Tim Jones, Austin Trammell, Parker Washington, Chandler Brayboy (ERFA)
- TE: Johnny Mundt, Hunter Long, Brenton Strange, Patrick Herbert (ERFA)
- OL: OT Ezra Cleveland, G Chuma Edoga, RT Anton Harrison (CLUB), G Cooper Hodges, LT Ricky Lee (ERFA), G Sal Wormley (ERFA), G Jerome Carvin (ERFA), OT Kilian Zierer (ERFA)
- EDGE: Arik Armstead, Yasir Abdullah
- DL: DaVon Hamilton, Travon Walker, Matt Dickerson, Keivie Rose (ERFA)
- LB: Ventrell Miller, Branson Combs (ERFA)
- CB: Keith Taylor, Keni-H Lovely (ERFA)
- S: Antonio Johnson, Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig (ERFA), Trevian Thomas (ERFA), Jabbar Muhammad (ERFA)
- ST: Ross Matiscik
Team Needs: RB, CB, LB, EDGE, WR, S
The Jaguars don’t have a first-round pick this year because of the Travis Hunter trade. All the offseason news has suggested that Jacksonville plans on using him as a full-time cornerback and part-time WR in 2026.
Hunter will be more deployed at CB than at WR based on the team’s current needs at the position (CBs Greg Newsome II, Montaric Brown, and Christian Braswell are all on expiring contracts). Recall that the 2025 Jaguars offense took OFF without Hunter in the second half of the season.
Given that Dyami Brown was a major free agent flop and Brian Thomas Jr. might get traded (lack of chemistry with Trevor Lawrence, despite the regime backing that he won’t be traded), the Jags might be in the market for another wide receiver. Parker Washington will be playing in a contract year after a breakout 2025 campaign.
But RB is definitely a bigger area they need to address. Travis Etienne is a free agent in 2026. They did draft two RBs in last year’s draft, likely knowing they could lose ETN on the open market.
The Jaguars RB coach is Chad Morton, who was in Chicago in 2024. Ties to D’Andre Swift. Liam Coen and many of his coaches also came from Tampa Bay, so Rachaad White could be an addition to this backfield.
But outside Etienne, the Jags don’t have many marquee FAs this offseason. Every other offensive starter is returning in some capacity from last season. The offensive line remains fully intact for 2026.
Defensively, as noted, CB needs help. Hence, the Hunter transition.
Safety Andrew Wingard and LB Devin Lloyd are both FAs, but the Jaguars have some in-house options at those positions if they move on. Still, Lloyd is coming off a career-year with 5 interceptions.
Wingard seems more replaceable with Antonio Johnson (2027 FA) and Eric Murray as capable free safety options.
On the defensive line, the Jaguars’ run defense was No. 1 in the NFL in 2025. Clearly, there’s not much need to bolster the defensive interior. Two of their top interior defenders will be FAs in 2027.
I’d probably label EDGE slightly over DT (pass rush from either the interior or outside). Arik Armstead is in the last year of his deal and will be 33 this year.
According to PFF, Jacksonville’s defensive interior ranked second-lowest in pass-rush productivity (6.1) across the NFL, with Armstead producing the lowest PFF pass-rush grade of his career (63.1).
The Jags were 27th in sacks in 2025.
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