2023 NFL Draft: Why the Jaguars Might Not See Tight End as a Top Priority

The Jacksonville Jaguars don't have the most crowded tight end room in the NFL right now. Not by a long shot.

As things stand during the first week of voluntary workouts, the Jaguars have three tight ends on the roster: Evan Engram, Luke Farrell and Gerrit Prince.

But that doesn't seem to concern the Jaguars. 

“We’re going to look to build that room and get as strong as we can. We don’t feel that it’s an absolute necessity to add to that room, but if there’s an opportunity to add to it, we will.," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said during a pre-draft press conference on Thursday. 

Engram is a former first-round pick who caught 73 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns last year; no matter what happens with his contract, he is locked into the Jaguars' offense in 2023. And by all indications, the Jaguars want it to stay that way for the next several seasons. 

Then there is Farrell, a fifth-round pick from 2021. Farrell had fans inside the building last year, and there is a reason to believe the team could be higher on him than fans think after 11 catches for 96 yards in 34 career games.

Prince rounds up the group; the former undrafted free-agent spent last year on the Jaguars' practice squad and was named 2021 Second Team All-Conference USA after playing in all thirteen games, making 11 starts and had 36 receptions for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

"The tight end, as a quarterback, the tight end becomes a really important piece. It almost becomes your best friend, right? At our level, that’s a comfort for the quarterback," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Thursday. 

"I’ve always tried to make our tight end room the best we can, whether we do it through the draft or free agency or trade of something of that nature."

As things stand today, though, Pederson and company seen to have more faith in their two unproved young guns than most on the outside seem to. Whether this means tight end is no longer in question in the first-round is one thing, but it is worth considering if the Jaguars buy-in to their ability to develop youth instead of adding to the position in the early rounds of the draft.

"We still feel like Evan, Luke, and Gerrit right now, the three we have, we know we’ll bring guys in for camp and will compete there. That’s a strong room," Pederson said. 

"Yeah, there’s two young players there, but we’ve got a lot of high expectations for those players as well and they know that. It’s something that we’re always going to keep an eye on as we go in every year and try to have the best tight end room for our quarterback.”