NFL Draft: Takeaways on Jaguars' Selection of Stanford OT Walker Little
The Jacksonville Jaguars took a major swing at the plate on Friday, selecting Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little to be one of the new bodyguards for No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence.
Little is a pick with glaring risks, but also with an immense upside. What does the Little pick mean for the Jaguars and their offensive line moving forward?
Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor have been put on notice
With the selection of Walker Little at No. 45, the Jaguars made one thing clear: one of their two current starters at offensive tackle is not long for the role. Whether it is left tackle Cam Robinson, who is playing on the one-year franchise tag, or right tackle Jawaan Taylor, the former second-round pick who suffered through an abysmal 2020 season. The Jaguars didn't take Little to backup Robinson and Taylor for years to come, so logically he is going to replace one of the two.
Little needs some time before he steps in as a starting tackle due to his lack of snaps the last two seasons, but the Jaguars said on Friday he is an eventual starter, which you would expect from the No. 45 pick. Whether Little displaces Robinson at left tackle in 2022 and beyond or takes over for the struggling Taylor, it is now clear that one of the two former second-rounders is not a starter for long.
This is a roll of the dice by the Jaguars but one worth taking considering Little's talent, positional value
Like the Jaguars' picks at No. 25, No. 33, and No. 65, there is some considerable risk when it comes to picking Walker Little. Due to some strange circumstances, he has played just one game since the 2018 season. He played well in that game, sure, but one game in two seasons isn't exactly the time of background one expects to see from a top-50 pick. With this in mind, the draft is all about risk management and balancing the rewards with the downsides.
Little is the type of player who is worth taking a risk on for a few reasons. One, he plays an immensely valuable position at offensive tackle. Tackles have flown off the board through the first few rounds of the draft and it is unlikely Little, a former star recruit and stud true freshman starter, would have lasted much longer considering three more offensive tackles were picked within the next 10 picks. Plus, it isn't as if the Jaguars took a risk on a player who struggled when healthy -- he was one of college football's better left tackles in 2017 and 2018. Little would have more likely than not been a first-round pick if he didn't miss any time.
Some context is needed for why the Little pick is a risk
There is no denying that there is some risk with picking a player with one game played in two seasons, especially considering that player suffered through a serious knee injury in 2019. But for those who believe the Jaguars are taking a player fresh off a serious injury, some context is needed. Little would have been healthy enough to play in 2020; had there not been a worldwide pandemic, he plays a full season.
“No, I’m ready for it. One, it’s the game I’ve been playing for so long. Two, I’ve been working at it since my last game to one get back to fully healthy and since I’ve been healthy now for almost a year now just training to be at my peak and be ready to step in as soon as I can at minicamp and start going at it," Little said on Friday. "I have no concerns about stepping in and playing again.”
Little is a risk, but context is going to be important when it comes to determining exactly why he is a risk. Yes he hasn't played in two years, but it isn't a situation where he is directly coming off an injury and was unable to play.
Jaguars made right move for solidifying future offensive line depth
The Jaguars have long said they trust their offensive line moving into the 2021 season. Whether they should is up for debate, but what isn't up for debate is the fact that the Jaguars needed to still add to the offensive line considering the long-term depth issues. Picking an offensive lineman on day two was a smart move, even if he doesn't start right away.
The same year the Jaguars drafted a franchise quarterback, they are also facing three starting offensive linemen with expiring contracts, including their starting left tackle. The Jaguars' offensive line today and the Jaguars' offensive line a year from now have always been set to be two extremely different units, so looking toward the future was the right call.
