Jacksonville Jaguars roster: Don’t sleep on rookie TE Luke Farrell

They did it! The Jacksonville Jaguars selected their tight end of the future! Or did they? The tight position has been a heated topic of Jags fans for some time now, as the unit has been a bit of a blank spot these past few years. With superstars across the league at the position, Jags fans are thinking, ‘Why not us? Where is our superstar tight end?’

There are still a few high-quality tight ends available in free agency and the Jacksonville may still grab one. However, they might’ve found their man — and no, it’s not Tim Tebow — and here’s why.

The Jaguars selected Luke Farrell with the 145th overall pick. Standing 6’6″ and 251 pounds, the Ohio State product has the right size to be a successful tight end in the NFL, and he isn’t lacking athleticism either. Farrell ran a 4.82 40-yard dash, had a 36.5-inch vertical, and a 118-inch broad jump at Ohio State Pro Day. How about the bench press? 22 reps. Yeah, that’s a solid amount.

Primarily a blocking tight end with the Buckeyes, this doesn’t mean Farrell can’t catch. During his collegiate career, he hauled in 34 receptions for 380 yards, averaging 11.2 yards per reception. Four of those catches went for touchdowns including one versus Clemson in 2021. Considering Ohio State’s pass-heavy offensive scheme, he was not a high-percentage target in their offense. That doesn’t mean he won’t be in Jacksonville.

What former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end does Luke Farrell resemble?

Many fans remember the greatest tight end in Jaguars’ history, Marcedes Lewis, but let’s go back a little further and look at a tight end who played a total of 80 games in five non-consecutive seasons with the Jaguars: Pete Mitchell.

At 6’2″ and 243 pounds, the Boston College standout didn’t carry quite the same size as Farrell but was a considerable contributor in the passing game. While hauling in 191 of his 287 targets (66.6 percent completion rate),  Mitchell amassed 2,091 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Furthermore, he appeared in nine total playoff games, including six for Jacksonville.

Mitchell was a reliable target and is a highly recognizable name with tenured Jaguars fans. Could Farrell have the same kind of impact? Jacksonville fans surely hope so. Considering how tight ends like Travis Kelce and George Kittle have been lighting up the stat charts lately, the Ohio native may become the next best tight end in Duval.

Farrell is certainly poised to be able to be a great contributor in both the passing and running game. This Jaguars’ offense keeps getting scarier as you go up the list of draft picks. Soon, the B&T staff will shift gears and take a look at the other side of the ball. This selection will be sure to have us on the EDGE of our seats on game day. In the meantime, don’t forget to check this profile on Jalen Camp, whom the Jags took in the sixth round of 2021’s draft.