Who is James Gladstone? Meet the babyfaced Jaguars GM who blew up the NFL Draft with Travis Hunter trade

Teddy Ricketson

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Who is James Gladstone? Meet the babyfaced Jaguars GM who blew up the NFL Draft with Travis Hunter trade image

The NFL Draft is the time for teams to make a splash. There is a lot of pressure on teams to make moves that positively turn their franchise around. While we don't know how the moves are going to work out, new general managers and coaches sometimes put their reputations on the line early with risky moves. 

The Jaguars hired general manager James Gladstone during the 2025 NFL offseason. He is 34 years old and the second-youngest GM in NFL history. Gladstone looks like he should be waiting to hear his name called on draft day, more than he does being in charge of a team's pick.

Whether he thinks it was the right move or if he wanted to show the rest of the NFL that he means business, Gladstone became the talk of the 2025 NFL Draft almost instantly when he traded up to the No. 2 pick to draft Travis Hunter. 

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Here is who he is and the move he pulled off. 

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Who is James Gladstone?

Gladstone is from St. Louis, Missouri. He went to Westminster College where he graduated with a Bachelor's in Education and then got a Master's in Education from Lindenwood University.

Gladstone met Les Snead when he was teaching high school in St. Louis. He was hired by the Rams to be a senior assistant to the general manager in 2016. 

He added a player personnel coordinator role in 2018 and was then promoted to director of scouting strategy in 2019. Gladstone was promoted yet again to Director of Scouting in 2021. This is his first general manager role, and he becomes the sixth GM in Jacksonville team history. 

MORE: How Travis Hunter fits in with Jaguars

James Gladstone age

Gladstone is 34 years old.

He is currently the youngest GM in the NFL, and is the second-youngest GM in the history of the league. 

Travis Hunter Browns-Jaguars trade details

Every team came into draft day holding its own first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for the first time in the common draft era. All of a sudden, Gladstone and the Jaguars made a splash deal to move up.

There were reports that Jacksonville wanted to take running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 5 overall pick. Instead, the Jaguars moved up to take Travis Hunter with the No. 2 overall pick.

Jaguars receive: No. 2 overall pick, No. 104 and No. 200. 

Browns receive: No. 5 overall pick, No. 36, No. 126 and a 2026 1st round pick from Jacksonville. 

ESPN Sources:

🏈Browns are trading the No. 2 overall pick, a fourth-round pick (No. 104), and a sixth-round pick (No. 200) to the Jaguars.

🏈Jaguars are trading the No. 5 overall pick, a second-round pick (No. 36), a fourth-round pick (No. 126) and their 2026 first-round pick… pic.twitter.com/9J3QPHqhhU

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 25, 2025

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Teddy Ricketson

Teddy Ricketson is a Digital Content Producer at The Sporting News. He joined the team in 2024 after spending the last three years writing for Vox Media as part of its DK Nation/Network team. Teddy does his best to support the South Carolina Gamecocks and Carolina Panthers, but tends to have more fun cheering on the Atlanta Braves. In his free time, he loves spending time with his wife, Brooke, and their two dogs, Bo and Hootie.