How Jaguars' Rookie Walker Little Has Been Even Better Than Advertised

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie offensive lineman Walker Little hasn't played a game in nearly two years. But his impact is already being felt. Could he break into the starting lineup soon? Urban Meyer, Darrell Bevell and Little himself talk about the possibility.

“He is probably better than I thought and I thought he would be really good.”

Head Coach Urban Meyer’s assessment of Jacksonville Jaguars rookie offensive lineman Walker Little isn’t hyperbole. If anything, it’s underselling what the second-round draft pick has done in training camp thus far.

Little had the makings of a potential first round pick. Coming out of high school, the nation’s leading recruiting site, 247 Sports, gave Little a grade of 103, their second-highest grade of all time, second only to Jadeveon Clowney.

But then, an injury knocked him out of the 2019 season. He then elected to opt out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing uncertainty on whether or not the Pac-12 would have a season. Instead, the Stanford product trained relentlessly, working on getting a jump start on learning the NFL.

That focus is now showing up on the field, as Little continues to dominate his one-on-one battles, team drill assignments and more. He’s won more reps than not, and shown a penchant for both pass blocking and run blocking in team drills with footwork that deserves respect.

“You know he is 300 and whatever he is and he is under 20% body fat. He had a nice set today in pass protection that he lifted a guy off the ground a little bit so he’s got a lot of tools," Meyer said.

Plus he is a Stanford grad. He must be smart,” smiled Meyer.

Those smarts and talent mean Little has been able to make up ground quickly after two years not on the field. But if the upward trajectory continues at this rate, one has to wonder if Little could start knocking on the door of the starting five by season’s end…or earlier.

“I don’t think we are there yet but he certainly is right up there,” admits Meyer.

Urban Meyer looks on as Walker Little goes through a drill. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

“Well first of all it is a starting five so there is that cut limit and who is behind the cut line. We also do a mindset grade on each player — and mindset is competitive spirit, toughness, intelligence, leadership and adaptability. Everybody does that so we will spend over two hours on that tomorrow.”

Little has those qualities, Meyer adds. Whether it means he pushes for a starting role remains to be seen. All starting five from the 2020 season were returned, as well as Tyler Shatley, who is the sixth man. Meyer also retained position coach George Warhop, while the club put a franchise tag on Cam Robinson, indicating a comfortability with where the unit sat.

“We are competing out here every day and we’ve told the guys — we are putting the best five guys out there,” explains Offensive Coordinator Darell Bevell. “So if Walker Little ends up being one of the best five then we have to find a way to get him in there. If Ben Bartch is one of those guys we will find a way to get him in there and I mean that’s the nature of this business, we have to have the best guys playing.”

But each time Little steps on the practice field, he stands out. So by the time the first game rolls around, the starting five could feasibly look different. Little has specifically pushed at the left tackle position, currently held by Robinson. He feels comfortable on both sides though, meaning Jawaan Taylor at right tackle could also soon have a shadow.

“Off the get-go it’d be left, because that’s what I played in college,” admits Little, before continuing, “truthfully, there’s not much difference to me, especially over the past year and a half as I’ve been training, I’ve been working both sides knowing that the versatility would help me one to get drafted and two once I am in the League any team wants a versatile player, so I’ve been training both sides and I feel comfortable playing either side.”

Whether left, right, starter or backup, Little’s future with the Jaguars is just getting started. 

While everything he’s shown thus far has been on a practice field, it’s hard not to get excited about the prospect of his future. As Urban Meyer said, reports were he’d be pretty good…and he’s probably even better.