Jaguars fortify tight end room in recent 2021 NFL Draft do-over

The Jacksonville Jaguars had many needs to address last offseason and there are different routes they could have taken with the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and most of them would have been good. In the end, the Jags chose Clemson running back Travis Etienne but they fortified their tight end room in a recent do-over.

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports recently re-imagined the 2021 draft and had the Jaguars taking Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth. He believes the former Nittany Lion would have given Trevor Lawrence “a legitimate pass-catching option over the middle“, which is precisely what he’s been for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that took him 55th overall last year.

Despite the fact that Steelers had an aging Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback in 2021, Freiermuth was very productive in his rookie campaign, ranking third in Pittsburgh in receptions with 60 and second in scoring touchdowns with seven. With better quarterback play, Freiermuth’s numbers should be even better.

If the Jaguars had drafted Freiermuth, he would have joined a tight end room that included James O’Shaughnessy, and Chris Manhertz. It’s uncertain if they would have still taken Luke Farrell in the fifth round but if Freiermuth had been as productive in Jacksonville as he was for the Steelers last season, the Jags’ front office might not have traded for Dan Arnold early in the 2021 season.

Pat Freiermuth would have given the Jaguars’ offense a boost.

The Jaguars had the worst scoring offense in the NFL last season. Having Freiermuth wouldn’t have turned them into a powerhouse but he would have given Trevor Lawrence another weapon on offense. Keep in mind that the Steelers took the tight end with the 55th overall pick, so the Jags could have still drafted Etienne at 25th and taken Freiermuth with one of the two second-round picks they had in 2021.

The problem with that is that the Jaguars would then have had to pass on either cornerback Tyson Campbell or offensive lineman Walker Little. The former became got progressively better as the season went on and the latter showed promise when given the chance.

Etienne missed his rookie campaign after sustaining a Lisfranc injury in the preseason, so it would be unfair to compare him to other players drafted in 2021. It’s too early to tell if the Jaguars made a bad decision when they took him. Sure, Freiermuth would have given been a welcome addition to the tight end room but E-T-N should be ready to contribute in training camp and could give the Jags’offense a spark in 2022.

Freiermuth should be even better in Year 2 but the Jaguars won’t mind passing on him if Etienne becomes the difference-maker they envisioned when they drafted him 25th overall in 2021.