State of Jaguars' DT unit after Ruke Orhorhoro trade before NFL draft

· Yahoo Sports

With the 2026 NFL draft near, we will be taking a position-by-position look at where things stand with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The draft will take place from Apr. 23-25. Although the Jaguars are without a first-round pick, GM James Gladstone does have 11 picks in total to work with -- tied for the second-most in the NFL.

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He also has four selections in the top 100, giving him the ability to still address key needs and the flexibility to let the board dictate what he does or move around as he sees fit.

Up next in our preview is the defensive tackle unit, which looks a bit different now after the Jaguars traded Maason Smith for Ruke Orhorhoro. If you missed our other previews, you can find them below.

Defensive tackles on the roster before 2026 NFL draft

  • DT Arik Armstead
  • DT DaVon Hamilton
  • DT Matt Dickerson
  • DT Ruke Orhorhoro
  • DT Keivie Rose

Offseason moves made by Jaguars at defensive tackle

What is the need at defensive tackle in the NFL draft for the Jaguars?

At a minimum, with only five defensive tackles under contract, more depth is needed. But in addition to that, more pass rush juice is needed from the defensive tackle position, which went quiet late last season. The addition of Orhorhoro can hopefully help provide that, but his presence doesn't solve the Jaguars' need here either. Before the trade, adding to the defensive tackle room should have been a priority, and after the trade, it still should be.

Top defensive tackle prospects in the 2026 NFL draft

With help from the consensus big board, here are the top defensive tackle prospects in this year's draft class -- a position that has a good amount of depth.

  • 29. Peter Woods, Clemson
  • 30. Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
  • 39. Caleb Banks, Florida
  • 46. Christen Miller, Georgia
  • 49. Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
  • 67. Domonique Orange, Iowa State
  • 78. Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
  • 85. Darrell Jackson Jr., Flordia State
  • 112. Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana
  • 118. Chris McClellan, Missouri
  • 119. Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss
  • 134. Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
  • 135. Tyler Onyedim, Teas A&M
  • 138. Zane Durant, Penn State
  • 139. Rayshaun Benny, Michigan
  • 145. DeMonte Capehart, Clemson
  • 146. Tim Keenan III, Alabama

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Evaluating Jaguars' DT unit after Ruke Orhorhoro trade

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