Tight end was one of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ most pressing needs heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. After ignoring the position in the first three rounds of the player selection meeting, they finally took Ohio State tight end Luke Farrell with the 145th overall pick.
A four-star recruit out of high school, Farrell committed to Ohio State in 2016 and finished his collegiate career with 34 receptions for 380 yards and four touchdowns. He has a nice size for the position and isn’t afraid to catch contested passes. On the other hand, he lacks burst and isn’t a deep threat. In fact, the Jaguars may want to use him as an inline blocker, a role he fulfilled for the Buckeyes.
The Jaguars didn’t make major additions to their tight end room this offseason, so Farrell could end up competing for playing time. The team’s brass signed Chris Manhertz, who will have a featured role in goal-line and short-downs situations, and veteran James O’Shaughnessy, and the Ohio State product offers a similar skill set, so it will be interesting to see how the depth chart looks on Day 1 of 2021’s regular season.
Tight end wasn’t a priority for the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
The Jaguars opted not to pursue a big-name tight end, such as Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, this offseason and chose to prioritize other positions in 2021’s draft and waited until the fourth round to take Farrell, which is kind of puzzling when you take into account they could use a playmaker at tight end.
Maybe the team’s brain trust didn’t like the talent available and decided not to overreach for someone like Pat Freiermuth, whom the Steelers drafted 55th overall. It’s worth noting the Houston Texans drafted Miami tight end Brevin Jordan two picks after the Jags took Farrell, so it’s fair to say this Jacksonville team thinks highly of the Ohio native.
While it may be disappointing to see the team not add a premier tight end in the draft, and wait until Day 3 to address the position, it will be interesting to see what kind of impact their other picks have in 2021.