2022 NFL Draft Profiles: Should Coastal Carolina TE Isaiah Likely Be a Jaguars Target?

With the Jaguars still needing to add young weapons to the offense, should they target Coastal Carolina's Isaiah Likely.

Author:
John Shipley
Publish date:
Apr 3, 2022 1:24 PM EDT

The 2022 NFL Draft season is upon us.

Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold 12 picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 1 overall pick. The Jaguars are entering a new era after the Urban Meyer tenure, making this draft as pivotal as one could imagine.

As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.

In our next prospect breakdown, we take a look at Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely and whether he makes sense for the Jaguars at any point of the draft.

Overview

One of the core pieces of Coastal Carolina's path to the top of their conference, Isaiah Likely didn't come onto campus as a big name. Ranked by 247Sports as a two-star recruit and not ranked nationally, Likely received offers from eight programs, including Bethune-Cookman, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Sacred Heart, and Southern Miss.

Likely played all 12 games as a true freshman, recording 12 catches for 106 yards (8.8 yards per catch) and five touchdowns, which tied for the team lead. Likely got a bump in playing time in 2019, starting six games in 12 appearances and catching 32 passes for 431 yards (13.5 yards per catch) and five touchdowns, being named a All-Sun Belt third team honoree.

Likely battled injuries throughout 2020 but still played in 11 games, leading all Sun Belt tight ends in receiving yards with 30 catches for 601 yards (20 yards per catch) and five more touchdowns, ending the year as a All-Sun Belt first-team selection. Finally, as a senior, Likely caught 59 passes for 912 yards (15.5 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns, was named All-Sun Belt first-team, and was a John Mackey Award semifinalist.

Likely attended the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama and also received an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine.

What Isaiah Likely Does Well

Isaiah Likely is built like your prototypical move tight end and Coastal Carolina used him exactly like that. Though he was lined up attached to the line of scrimmage at times, Likely was mostly used as a F tight end and even occasionally split out wide for Coastal Carolina's offense thanks to the mismatches he provided at the college level.

Likely has extremely strong hands, whether over the middle in traffic or when extending outside or below his frame. He shows the ability to highpoint the ball in the air, bend beneath his waist to scoop low passes and contort his body to bring in passes outside his frame. Likely did a good job of securing passes against contact and can win in the red-zone as well.

Likely is a mismatch after the catch because he plays faster than his 40-yard time suggests. He gets into second gear in a hurry and can immediately accelerate after the catch, showing the balance and strength to break tackles and bounce defenders off of him but also the agility and vision in space to make defenders miss and set up his own angles to out-leverage defenders.

Likely gives a good amount of effort as a blocker and his physicality shouldn't be questioned. While he doesn't have the size or frame to block edge defenders at the next level, he could be utilized against smaller defenders thanks to his willingness to embrace contact and aggressive hands.

How Isaiah Likely Would Fit With the Jaguars

There are reasons to think that in a vacuum, Likely is a tight end the Jaguars and their staff would be high on. He fits the same mold as Dan Arnold and Evan Engram -- two tight ends Trent Baalke has acquired in the last two seasons -- and has the athleticism, physicality and yards after catch ability the Jaguars' coaching staff seems to place an emphasis on.

The question with Likely is where he would fit into the Jaguars' current tight end room. While Arnold and Engram are free agents after this year, it is still tough to see Likely as an early-round pick for the Jaguars because he would logically be behind both veterans early as a rookie. Eventually, the Jaguars need to collect tight ends who can be true blockers and Y tight ends, and Likely doesn't fit that mold.

There is also some question as to whether Likely tested like an athlete the Jaguars should target. Tight end is historically a position where athletchism can help indicate success, and Likely did not test like the athlete he looks like on film. Considering he is below 250 pounds, you would have liked to see better agility and 40 times.

Verdict

While Likely is going to be seen as a consensus top-5 tight end, there is not much of a reason for the Jaguars to be in on drafting him, at least not with their current roster set-up. The Jaguars already have two move tight ends on the roster who can't line up inline and would have to be moved around the formation, so likely would give them three tight ends with below-average blocking ability and schematic versatility. Likely is a solid prospect, but the Jaguars need a different breed of tight end, especially at No. 65 and No. 70 overall.

For all of our 2022 NFL Draft profiles, click below.