2023 NFL Draft: Why the Jaguars Drafted Brenton Strange
Brenton Strange didn't have many conversations with the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2023 NFL Draft. To him, the Jaguars didn't appear to be one of the teams interested in the high-upside pass-catcher.
But that didn't mean anything for the Jaguars, who targeted Strange at No. 61 overall last weekend. Their interest was prevalent all along. It was just strategically hidden.
"He had several conversations with some of the scouts at different times. Tyler Bowen, who coached here two years ago, was on staff, recruited him and coached him in college as a young guy. We had a lot of intel," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said.
"Sometimes you just don't want to leave a paper trail when you got a lot of information on young guys, everything checks out, all the boxes check out, everyone you talk to says the same thing about him. Again, a culture fit. Coach can talk more about the versatility of him, how he can use him, and the staff. Just a guy that really plays the game the way we want to play it."
A four-star recruit, Strange was the No. 14 tight end in the 2019 class. Strange, 22, measured at the combine at 6-foot-3, 253 pounds and ran a 4.70 40-yard dash.
Strange caught one pass for four yards and one touchdown as a true freshman before starting five games in 2020, catching 17 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Strange then became a full-time starter in 2021, starting all 13 games and catching 20 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns.
Strange had his best season in 2022, starting all 13 games and catching 32 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns. Strange will now join Evan Engram, Luke Farrell, and Gerritt Prince in the tight end room.
"Well, this guy, he's kind of a ready-made tight end for us. He's a guy that can come in, obviously got to pick up the offense and learn, it's already a good room with Luke, with Evan, Gerrit Prince has an opportunity, too. Just adding to the competition and depth that you've heard me say many, many times," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said.
"His versatility, he can be an inline blocker for us as the wide position, so he's got that versatility that way. Just getting him in here, getting him going in a couple weeks with the team, then really kind of figuring out the upside with him, too. It's extremely high. Guys around the league talk. I have tight end friends around the league. They said it was a good pick, he's a good guy. They spent time with him. Our guys spent him with him, studied him and everything."
Last year's Jaguars team didn't see Pederson deeply many two-tight end sets. And when he did, it was rarely a tight end other than Engram who saw the ball go their way.
The hope for the Jaguars is that with Strange in the fold, that will change -- adding to the versatility of a room that Pederson has long been known for utilizing.
"It's exciting. The players understand who is going to be coaching them. I feel with Richard Angulo, our tight end coach, former tight end that played in this league, played here in Jacksonville. He understands the things that we strive and we stress to our tight end room," Pederson said.
"I think the history of the tight ends I've had, whether in Philly, obviously my career going back to Green Bay, being around good tight ends, being on offenses that have had good tight ends, it's an integral part of the offense. You become very versatile with multiple tight ends, guys that are athletic, guys that you can move around, create the matchups that you want. I think players like him, like Strange, they see that, right? They see those opportunities. They get excited about that. We'll get him in here and get him plugged in with that room and get him around the guys, see where he can help us win games."
