The Jacksonville Jaguars may have found another late-round name worth tracking when training camp opens in two weeks, and this one is already drawing a clear line to the team’s recent habit of rewarding players who keep showing up and producing.
That player is defensive end Zach Durfee, a seventh-round pick in April who enters camp with a real path to stand out if he carries over the pass-rush traits he flashed in college. The Jaguars’ defensive end group is crowded at the top with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, and second-year ends Danny Striggow and B.J.
Green are also expected to take steps forward. But beyond those names, there is room for someone to force the issue.
Durfee fits the profile. He was a walk-on at Sioux Falls in 2022 and still managed 11 sacks, good for third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
At Washington, he led the team with four sacks in 2025, and that production has helped make his skill set stand out. In a room that does not have many proven options after the starters, he could get meaningful chances to show what he can do as a pass-rusher throughout camp.
The Jaguars already showed last season that they are willing to trust young, unproven players if those guys earn it in practice and the preseason. Striggow and Green both benefited from that approach, and Durfee now looks like the kind of rookie who could follow a similar path if he gets hot early.
During OTAs and minicamp, Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile pointed to the traits that made Durfee appealing in the first place.
“Really what we've seen out here, that's what we liked about him. He practices super hard.
He plays hard all the time. I think Zach's a really good pass rusher, but he's stout at the point of attack so he can set a firm edge in the run game," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said during the offseason program.
"And he's just a big guy that's really athletic. He's got some hybrid qualities in terms of being a defensive lineman that can do some linebacker jobs, so we're always looking for guys with position flexibility and versatility.
And he was one of those guys that we thought had those qualities and when you watched him play, he just played hard as hell. So that's something I certainly haven't been surprised by, his effort in practice.
That's what we expected.”
Of course, nothing is handed out to a rookie on a 13-4 playoff team. Durfee will have to earn snaps, beat out veterans, and probably contribute on special teams too. But with Jacksonville’s key veterans not expected to play many preseason snaps, if any, the rookie could have a real stage to make his case.
That’s what makes him such an intriguing camp watch. Durfee has the look of a late-round pick who refuses to stay in the background, and if the college pass-rush production shows up again in Jacksonville, he could be the sleeper who turns heads fast.
In Other News...
ESPN Just Turned The Jaguars Core Into A Heated Debate
A recent ESPN trade-value exercise put a spotlight on how much talent Jacksonville has assembled, and it started with Trevor Lawrence. Bill Barnwells list of potential trade targets also included Josh Hines-Allen, Brian Thomas Jr., Travon Walker and Travis Hunter, a reminder that the Jaguars have several players whose value around the league goes well beyond a standard roster discussion.
Lawrence drew the most attention because Barnwell viewed him as the kind of asset who could command a massive return despite the uneven stretches that have come with years of coaching turnover. The bigger question for Jacksonville is less about whether these names carry real market value and more about what it says when so many of the teams core pieces show up in the same conversation, even if the exercise is only meant as analysis and not a prediction of actual deals. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Hunter Enters A Franchise Defining Year 2 Spotlight
Travis Hunter is already carrying a familiar kind of weight for a player who has yet to settle into his second NFL season. Jacksonville made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft with the expectation that he would change games on both sides of the ball, and the Jaguars have made it clear that plan is still intact. After a season cut short by a knee injury, Hunter has spent the offseason preparing mentally and physically while the franchise keeps him on the path of playing cornerback and receiver.
What makes this year especially interesting is how much more will be asked of him on defense. Hunter is viewed as one of the leagues top 10 players under pressure entering 2026, and that spotlight comes with the usual draft-pick expectations plus the added burden of justifying Jacksonvilles aggressive investment. The Jaguars believe he can handle both roles, but the next step is proving he can turn that promise into consistent impact, especially with his defensive responsibilities expected to grow. [Read more 🡒]