Jaguars Rookie Emmanuel Pregnon to Start at Left Guard
The NFL draft is a game of chance as much as it is preparation, and for teams across the league, it is always a question of how much the two will come together to produce what they can deem a good selection when the season is all said and done.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, in particular, faced plenty of criticism this offseason about their draft selections, but at least one has clearly proved the lot wrong.
When the Jaguars released their depth chart ahead of their Week 1 bout with the Cleveland Browns, rookie left guard Emmanuel Pregnon’s name appeared ahead of Daniel Faalele — who Jacksonville added in a trade Aug. 19 following numerous injuries to the offensive line.
“You certainly think ahead in the sense of projecting, but because you can only take it one day at a time, and you’re so focused on the process of the day-to-day with a player or with our plan as an offense,” offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said, “you really don’t take anything for granted.”
However, what the coordinator noticed from the start was the potential. Throughout the draft process, it was clear the 24-year-old had the tools to shine in the Jaguars’ system. “What we saw in the draft process, and when we talked to him, and we went through the film, and did all of our research and due diligence, is you saw the things that have allowed him to elevate to where he is now from a play-style standpoint,” Udinski said.
Pregnon was named a first-team All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten by the Associated Press after starting all 15 contests in Oregon’s push to the College Football Playoff semifinals last fall. He held a 98% pass-block win rate on 446 pass-block snaps throughout the season as part of a stellar Oregon offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which denotes the top offensive line in the FBS.
And even prior to his time at Oregon, the 6-foot-4, 318-pound lineman found similar success at USC. He didn’t allow a sack in the entire 2024 campaign.
“His strength with his hands, his finishability, his ability in pass protection,” Udinski said. “All of those things we saw, but you never really know how that’s going to translate or how that’s going to fit in our offense until you get the guy in here.”
Udinski credited Pregnon’s work ethic for his ability to adapt to the Jaguars’ offense quickly enough to be a Week 1 starter. But he also noted offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett and assistant offensive line coach Trevor Mendelson have worked specifically with Pregnon in order to get him ready for the season.
“You could walk downstairs in the locker room at 10 o’clock at night, and he’s still here working on something, whether it’s recovery, studying, watching tape,” Udinski said. “It’s a credit to his work ethic first and foremost.”
Category: Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
