NFL: Luke Farrell discusses Jaguars draft, Urban Meyer

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected tight end Luke Farrell in the 5th round of the 2021 NFL Draft last Thursday. Farrell spent four seasons at Ohio State, leading Big Ten tight ends with 17.0 yards per reception in 2019, before graduating this past year. He’ll reunite with his former head coach and recently hired Urban Meyer in Jacksonville. Meyer was hired by the Jaguars on January 14, 2021 after coaching the Buckeyes from 2012-2018.

“I think the biggest adjustment will be the playbook and the NFL routine. I want to get there and have the offensive terminology down as quickly as I can so I can add value right away,” Luke Farrell told me recently. “I’m very familiar with coach Meyer’s culture and how he wants his guys to play, so I think I’ll be able to adjust back to that pretty quickly. My goal is to get in and learn the playbook, earn the trust of my coaches and teammates, earn that playing time and help us win.”

Farrell and Meyer have a relationship that dates back to 2012 when the 4-star tight end from Perry High School was being recruited. After originally picking the Fighting Irish, Farrell committed to Ohio State over Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, and 10 others. He went on to play four years with the Buckeyes, racking up 380 yards and four touchdowns on 34 receptions (11.2 yards per catch) in 43 games from 2017-2020.

According to 247 Sports, Meyer explained why the Jaguars drafted Farrell in the 5th round: “I love Luke. I love his family. He is a worker, a grinder, and to see him where he is at from where he came… The number one way to help a young quarterback is to have a successful run game. So that’s why we signed Chris Manhertz and that’s why we took Luke Farrell, to be creative in some of the run-game formations. That’s why we signed Carlos Hyde to add to James Robinson.”

The majority of Farrell’s time in the NFL will be focused around run-blocking and protecting the quarterback after doing that at a high level in 2020. Farrell agreed with what his coach had to say, “I play with a lot of toughness and I love the grind. I’m ready to get there and go to work everyday to help our offense be successful. My game is tough and versatile. I approach every aspect of the game with a lot of toughness and I can do whatever they ask me to at tight end at a high level.”

Jacksonville’s offense has a long way to go but they certainly improved to a degree in the recent draft, adding the likes of Trevor Lawrence (1st pick), Travis Etienne (25th pick), Walker Little (45th pick), and Luke Farrell (145th pick). Some of their key returning starters include DJ Chark, CJ Henderson, Myles Jack, Gardner Minshew, Cam Robinson, James Robinson, and Joe Schobert. Meyer will hope to build around a strong draft following an abysmal 1-15 record a year ago.

Farrell will play with, instead of against, a couple Clemson players in Lawrence and Etienne, who faced Ohio State in the 2020 College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes came away with a dominant 49-28 win as Farrell caught two passes for 11 yards and an 8-yard touchdown reception. He talked about what it will be like to join them in Jacksonville: “It is going to be great to play with those guys. They’re both elite players and make it so exciting to be a part of this offense.”

The 6’6, 258-pound tight end also discussed what his draft week experience was like: “A little stressful but nice, I was back at home in northeast Ohio with some family and friends. I actually got the phone call from Ryan Stamper, who worked at Ohio State for my entire time there. So I wasn’t totally sure that was ‘the call’ until he handed the phone off to coach Meyer. It was definitely a surprise to be the first pick of the 5th round.”

Photo Credit: SB Nation.