PFF: Jaguars’ Brenton Strange Is Highest-Graded Rookie TE of Preseason

Brenton Strange has been more than just a standout for the Jaguars' during the preseason -- he may be the best rookie tight end in the league in the last two weeks.

Few rookie tight ends have been as impressive this month as Brenton Strange.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' second-round pick, Strange has been a dominant run-blocker through the first two weeks of the preseason and last week caught three passes, helping him earn the spot as Pro Football Focus' highest-graded rookie tight end through two weeks. 

Highest graded rookie TE this Preseason:

🔵 Brenton Strange: 78.5@PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/fwEF9SVpLR

— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 23, 2023

A four-star recruit, Strange was the No. 14 tight end in the 2019 class. Strange, 22, measured at the combine at 6-foot-3, 253 pounds and ran a 4.70 40-yard dash.

Strange caught one pass for four yards and one touchdown as a true freshman before starting five games in 2020, catching 17 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Strange then became a full-time starter in 2021, starting all 13 games and catching 20 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

Strange had his best season in 2022, starting all 13 games and catching 32 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns. 

.“Brenton just continues to get better in a little different aspect of his game each time. We've done more with him on the line and continue to see him as a Y with his hand in the dirt, versus off the ball as an F in the fullback role extended from the formation," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said earlier this month. 

"So, each day you kind of see one step or one aspect of us spoon-feeding little bits and pieces of the offense to see where he can go with it. The biggest thing with him is his versatility, all the different things he can do. He brings a physical element to his game that we value but he's also able to get away from the formation, get down the field, get down the seam. I'm excited to see him as a ball carrier in some of these games we get into too."

The Jaguars selected Strange with the No. 61 overall pick in April, making him the first-ever tight end selected in the second-round in franchise history.

"He had several conversations with some of the scouts at different times. Tyler Bowen, who coached here two years ago, was on staff, recruited him and coached him in college as a young guy. We had a lot of intel," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said after the draft.

"Sometimes you just don't want to leave a paper trail when you got a lot of information on young guys, everything checks out, all the boxes check out, everyone you talk to says the same thing about him. Again, a culture fit. Coach can talk more about the versatility of him, how he can use him, and the staff. Just a guy that really plays the game the way we want to play it."