Josh Hines-Allen is headed into the 2026 NFL season with some real respect attached to his name.
ESPN’s latest top 100 list, built by a 12-person panel of analysts and reporters, slotted the Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher at No. 67 overall. That’s a major jump from last year’s No. 97 placement and puts the former Kentucky Wildcat in the conversation as one of the league’s more valuable pass rushers heading into the fall.
ESPN is projecting Hines-Allen for 53 tackles, 10 sacks and two pass deflections in what will be his eighth NFL season, all with Jacksonville. Michael DiRocco pointed to the support around him as part of the reason for the rise, writing: “Hines-Allen - who ranks in the top seven in pressures, sacks and QB hits over the past three seasons - should have more support now that Travon Walker is healthy and second-year player B.J.
Green II has emerged in camp as the No. 3 rusher,” DiRocco wrote. “The Jaguars might use Walker more as an interior rusher, and that should create more one-on-one matchups for Hines-Allen, especially if the two are rushing next to each other.”
The production is already there. Hines-Allen, 29, owns Jacksonville’s all-time sacks record with 61, and that total ranks 10th among all players since he entered the league.
He’s made the Pro Bowl twice with the Jaguars, first as a rookie in 2019 and again in 2023, when he put up 17.5 sacks. In 2025, under first-year head coach and former Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen, he played all 17 games and finished with 49 tackles, eight sacks, three pass deflections and a safety.
The ESPN ranking wasn’t the only recent nod for Hines-Allen. Earlier this summer, he came in at No. 48 in a separate top 50 list voted on by active NFL players.
He enters the season on a Jaguars team trying to string together back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 1996-99. Jacksonville opens the 2026 schedule on Sunday, Sept. 13 against the Cleveland Browns.
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