The Jacksonville Jaguars will enter the 2021 season with the same glaring need at tight end that they had in 2020.
Last season, the team signed veteran Tyler Eifert in hopes he would return to his pre-injury form. Sadly that didn’t materialize as Eifert ended the season with a disappointing 36 catches for 349 yards and two touchdowns. James O’Shaughnessy, however, showed some promise before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
As for this offseason, the Jags’ new front office attacked offensive skill position players, adding receiver Marvin Jones Jr., running back Carlos Hyde, and running back Travis Etienne. Aside from the addition of blocking tight end Chris Manhertz, the Jaguars failed to make any notable moves at the tight end position that would help them in terms of pass-catching.
It’s likely the team will look towards 2022 for their long-term answer to the position. One player that has made himself known is Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer. Wydermyer has made himself a household name among collegiate tight ends the last two seasons. In his first two seasons with the Aggies, the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder has hauled in 78 balls for 953 yards and 12 scores.
However, Wydermyer has impressed scouts with more than just numbers. The Texas A&m standout has showcased great ball skills with his athleticism, bullying vaunted Southeastern Conference defenses in the process.
Wydermyer knows how to use his size to his advantage, boxing out defenders before high-pointing the ball. It was this ability that made him former Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond’s favorite target. He can attack all three levels of the defense and his imposing size makes him a lucrative option in the red zone as he can showcase his impressive ball skills as well. This is what makes him such an endearing prospect.
When watching his tape, Wydermyer simply wins jump ball after jump ball, and his 12 touchdowns are evidence of this. Here are a couple of plays displaying his natural hands and impressive ball skills for you all to see with your own eyes.
Wydermyer certainly has the speed to prosper at the NFL level. While he isn’t going to blow up the combine, his shiftiness as a route runner and long speed helped Wydermyer get consistently open downfield for his quarterback. In his freshman season (2019), Wydermyer was fifth in the country with five catches of 20 or more yards. Wydermyer’s ability to make plays after the catch, however, will need to improve as he managed just 3.5 yards post-reception.
With his skill set and natural athleticism, this number must rise in 2021 if Wydermyer wants to take his game to the next level. Here’s one example of Wydermyer showing off that speed that will need to translate to the NFL.
At this point, Wydermyer is much more of a receiving tight end than a blocking one. That said, Wydermyer has made impressive strides in this facet of his game since coming onto the College Station campus. He was given quite a few reps last season in-line and his effort is obvious. There are certain areas to clean up and he could profit from gaining some upper body strength, however, that “want to” is certainly there.
If the Jags elect to pass on the tight end position again in 2022 free agency, they may look at the position in the draft. As it sits right now, there might not be any out there better than No. 85 from College Station.