Trevor Lawrence was no doubt the most significant addition the Jacksonville Jaguars made in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the addition of Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little could end up being the next most important. With the Jags taking him with the 45th overall pick, chances are they view him as the left tackle of the future and Lawrence’s long-term blindside protector.
However, one of the concerns with Little is that he took a very limited amount of snaps within the past two seasons, suffering an ACL tear in 2019, then opting out in 2020. Despite that, Jags offensive line coach George Warhop said he was impressed by the young tackle’s preparation as he came into organized team activities and minicamp ready to roll.
“I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’ve had multiple tackles drafted in the first or second round and [Walker Little] came in as prepared or more prepared than any of those guys; in terms of movement skills, in terms of intellect, in terms of communication,” Warhop said. “We ask guys to do things differently than they do in college, so there’s a learning curve there. But in terms of how he came in, the fact that he didn’t play for two years, you really couldn’t notice that.”
These comments make things interesting as the Jags head into their break before training camp. The team franchised tagged their starting left tackle of the past four years in Cam Robinson, who they will pay almost $14 million over the course of a year. However, it seems like Little is ready to give him a fight next month, which will give fans a key storyline to watch.
Ultimately, it feels like Robinson should be given the edge as the preseason could prove to be a hurdle for a player who last played in a game in August of 2019. But even if the rookie beat in the preseason, it will be on Robinson to remain healthy through the regular season, as that could give Little the opportunity he needs to claim the job and hang on to it.