INDIANAPOLIS – Thursday was tight end day at the NFL Combine, as the sixteen players invited to the event at the position were all made available to the media.
Huskies Wire spent time speaking with Jack Westover, a fan favorite due to his clutch receptions in big moments. Westover’s career started as a walk-on out of Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie.
A basketball player until his senior year of high school, Westover broke his collarbone two games into the season, leaving him with exceedingly few reps to show coaches. That didn’t stop Chris Petersen’s coaching staff from offering Westover a spot as a walk-on, where he earned reps as an I-formation fullback before emerging as a contributor at tight end for Jimmy Lake and Kalen DeBoer’s teams.
It’s a particularly relevant career path for the sixth-year tight end, as NFL offenses have begun installing a fullback as an in-line player to force mismatches. Teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans executed these plays with great success in 2023.
Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard took 366 snaps as an in-line tight end this season, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk took 197, and Texans H-back Andrew Beck logged 109.
Huskies Wire asked Westover if he thought this trend benefitted him as a draft prospect given his background. He gave an illuminating answer:
“I think for sure. My background of doing it all. From the time I was a sophomore, I got my start playing fullback, running I formation iso blocks and then my role progressed to actually playing tight end, playing running back, playing out in the slot. So I think those teams, that tree of coaches, is something I’m definitely eyeing. With my height, not being a 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5 tight end type, I’m sure [H-back is] something teams automatically see me as. But I see myself as a tight end as well. I’ve done it all, I’ve put it on tape, and I see myself as both.”
Beck may be Westover’s best comparison in the pros for that reason. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound veteran has played both traditional tight end and fullback/H-back across stints with the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Texans after entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Westover is listed at 6-foot-3, 248-pounds (he will measure officially at the combine on Friday) and with the game moving in a direction well-suited for his talents, he may not have to wait until undrafted free agency to find an NFL home.
Westover also had a cast on his left wrist during his media availability. He revealed that he “ruptured a ligament and chipped a few pieces of bone” in Washington’s Week 4 win over California. He played the rest of the season with a molded cast on the area, electing to wait until after the end of the Huskies’ run to the national championship to surgically correct the injury.
from this morning @UWHuskiesWire: Washington TE Jack Westover came in with a cast on his hand. said in week 4, he ruptured a ligament and chipped a few pieces of bone. he had surgery last week but said he'll be ready for pro day pic.twitter.com/cjfi5wxcmg
— alex katson 🇯🇵 (@alexkatson) February 29, 2024
Westover had the surgery last week, which means he will not participate in the athletic testing or drills in Indianapolis. However, he did say that the surgery had a five-week recovery time, and that he expects to be ready for Washington’s pro day at the end of March.
The NFL Combine continues through Monday with on-field testing at Lucas Oil Stadium broadcasted on NFL Network.