{"id":305567,"date":"2026-06-12T19:49:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T19:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/305567\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T19:49:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T19:49:34","slug":"jaguars-rookie-is-gaining-momentum-as-jacksonville-questions-open-the-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/305567\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaguars rookie is gaining momentum as Jacksonville questions open the door"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a pair of scary pass rushers in Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. However, they’re lacking a No. 3 to round out their rotation. To remedy the issue, the Jags use a pair of draft picks on Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee. On top of that, sophomore Danny Striggow is expected to make strides next season<\/a>. The expectation is that one of them will separate himself from the bunch and seize the job before the regular season.<\/p>\n

Durfee, dubbed Prospect X during the draft process<\/a>, has a still hill to climb, but he made sure to make a strong impression at mandatory minicamp.<\/p>\n

Zach Durfee was a standout at Jaguars mandatory minicamp<\/p>\n

John Shipley of Sports Illustrated shared his takeaways from Day 3 of mandatory minicamp<\/a> and stated that Zach Durfee stood out, noting that he made plays and has shown pass-rush potential.<\/p>\n

“On Thursday, one defensive end who constantly caught my eye was seventh-round rookie Zach Durfee, who seemingly has built some momentum over the last week or so,” Shipley wrote. “Durfee had a would-be sack in the red-zone drills of Nick Mullens that showed off his burst and his ability to bend the edge.”<\/p>\n

Shipley continued, “He has a bigger frame than his skill-set maybe suggests, but that has not slowed him down in the least during team drills. The speed and ability to bend the corner have shown up time and time again.”<\/p>\n

Of course, Durfee went against the backups, so it’s fair to ask how he’d fare against the starters. Similarly, the Jags have yet to practice with pads this offseason, so the former Washington Huskey will have to carry his momentum into training camp. Nevertheless, it’s still encouraging to see him make strides so early. <\/p>\n

And that’s the thing: Durfee slid to the seventh round not because he lacked skills but rather because he dealt with transfer issues and myriad injuries throughout his collegiate career. However, he’s quickly showing why he can make an impact in the NFL. Heck, Jedd Fisch, his coach at Washington, endorsed him, noting that he would’ve been a Day 1 pick <\/a>if he had stayed healthy.<\/p>\n

Zach Durfee must keep his momentum going at Jaguars training camp<\/p>\n

Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen are firmly entrenched as their starters. How the depth chart behind them looks remains to be seen. The competition for the No. 3 spot could be wide open. <\/p>\n

B.J. Green II and Danny Striggow could have the edge by virtue of being the veterans. Both of them made the 53-man roster as undrafted free agents last year and should make strides in 2026. Rookie Wesley Williams is also in the mix. He has the size and the tools to develop into a solid rotation piece. Zach Durfee will need to outperform all three.<\/p>\n

The silver lining is that even if Durfee comes up short, he could still get snaps. That’s precisely what happened with Green and Striggow last year. They barely saw the field to start the 2025 season, but logged more playing time down the stretch and eventually moved ahead of Dawuane Smoot and Emmanuel Ogbah on the depth chart. <\/p>\n

Durfee could experience a similar path. Then again, you could make the case that he’s a tad more ready at the point of his rookie season. <\/p>\n

The Jaguars have steered clear of adding a veteran pass rusher <\/a>this offseason, and understandably so. They want to see what their young pass rushers can do, and if Zach Durfee keeps shining, there won’t be a need to bring in reinforcements. <\/p>\n

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