Urban Meyer: ‘I’m Just Really Excited About’ Rookie OT Walker Little

Walker Little has earned high praise from the Jaguars' head coach just a few practices into his NFL career.

Walker Little hasn't played a football game since Aug. 19, 2019 due to a myriad of circumstances -- but that isn't curbing the Jacksonville Jaguars; enthusiasm for their potential future left tackle.

“He’s 20 percent body fat, 6-foot-whatever he is, 329 pounds, heavy hands and great footwork," Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said on Saturday following a rookie minicamp practice. 

"Without putting the cart before the horse, which I normally do, I’m just really excited about him."

One of the largest investments Meyer has made into the Jaguars' offensive line thus far has been Little, who the Jaguars drafted in the second round at No. 45 overall in last month's NFL Draft. Little comes with questions, but not any Meyer isn't confident he can answer. 

Picture via Bob Self, Florida Times-Union

The obvious hangup with Little is the fact that he has played one game in two seasons due to a knee injury in 2019 and opting out in 2020. Despite his lack of recent experience, Meyer and the Jaguars targeted him early in the draft, even with a big investment made at left tackle with the franchise tagging of Cam Robinson. 

"He’s a really intelligent guy, and you just wonder if he would’ve played the last two years — he had an injury and obviously the Pac-12 canceled football and put the players in a tough position and he didn’t play — but he’s been outstanding," Meyer said.

Little is a former star five-star recruit who was the first true freshman to start for Stanford at left tackle since 2000. He started six games in 2017, earning Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Freshman Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Little started 12 games in 2018 and was a rising prospect before injuries derailed his college career. A left knee injury in the 2019 season opener forced him to miss the entire year, and he then opted out of the 2020 season.

As a result of his unique path to the NFL, Little was a tough evaluation in a year in which evaluations were already incredibly difficult due to a lack of in-person scouting and meetings. Taking any prospect who didn't play in 2020 would be a projection for an NFL team, let alone a prospect who didn't play much in 2019 either. 

But Meyer has a close relationship with Stanford head coach David Shaw, a relationship that has made him more comfortable with the leap the team would take with Little. And while the work on the field has been minimal so far, Meyer has seen the returns he envisioned when the Jaguars drafted Little, who was once projected as a future first-round pick.

Second-rounder Walker Little (2019 ACL tear) told us he was “100%” during #NFLDraft Week

No brace for the former #Stanford stand-out #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/opn0TkDSNu

— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) May 15, 2021

"We did so much homework on him and obviously their coach is a friend of mine — David Shaw. So much respect for Stanford and when they say something, the people I’ve talked to — we just believe he would’ve been a first rounder had he never had that knee injury," Meyer said. 

"At one point he was one of the top tackles in the country, and that was really hard because you never saw them until they got there. You just don’t know what their legs look like, etcetera. Then when he got there you’re like, 20 percent body fat is pretty good for a 330-pound man.”

It remains to be seen whether Little will start as a rookie -- or when he will start in the event he does play. But for now, count his development as one the Jaguars are increasingly excited about when it comes to the future. The Jaguars wanted to draft impact players for both 2021 and beyond, and they believe in Little's potential for the beyond.