ESPN's defensive tackle rankings underscore uncertainties for Jaguars

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler put together his annual ranking of the top defensive tackles entering the 2026 NFL season, but nowhere to be found were any members of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

What makes these rankings unique is that this list isn’t constructed solely on Fowler’s opinion. Rather, a total of 70 NFL execs, coaches, and scouts were the voters. Other elements, such as research, interviews, and film analysis by Matt Bowen, factor in as well.

With all of that taken into account, Fowler then puts together the top 10, highlights a few honorable mentions, and notes which players received votes.

And of those three categories, no Jaguars players were present, which underscores the uncertainty at the defensive tackle position heading into this season.

The Jaguars were the top run defense unit in football last season, and a lot of that success begins at the defensive tackle position and with DaVon Hamilton. While Hamilton’s impact won’t always show up on the stat sheet, his ability to take on blockers and eat up space creates opportunities for others to make plays and clog running lanes.

Providing an additional boost to the run defense unit could be the addition of Albert Regis in this year’s draft.

But where this unit needs more juice is in the passing game, specifically getting after the quarterback. Arik Armstead was fairly productive through the first half of last season, but an injury contributed to inconsistency down the stretch.

The Jaguars acquired Ruke Orhorhoro this offseason, who has upside as a pass rusher, but it remains to be seen how big an impact he can have.

As a collective defensive line unit, the Jaguars need to generate pressure at a higher rate this season after ranking 18th in pressure rate in 2025 and 27th in sacks.

More consistent disruption from the interior will go a long way in accomplishing that.