Jacksonville Jaguars select Brenton Strange in 2nd round of 2023 NFL Draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars have selected Penn State tight end Brenton Strange with the No. 61 overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Strange redshirted his first year on campus in 2019. During his redshirt freshman season during the 2020 COVID season, Strange caught 17 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns while starting five of the nine games the Nittany Lions played that year.

As a junior, he started every games for the team, making 20 grabs for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

He continued his start role his senior year. He finished the year with 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns as Big Ten coaches named him to the All-Big Ten third team.

Strange was a major Midwest recruit coming out of Parkersburg (W.V.) High during the 2019 recruiting cycle. He was ranked as the No. 398 overall player, No. 17 tight end and No. 3 player from the state of West Virginia in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking. The On3 Industry is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four major recruiting media services. The On3 Industry Ranking is the most advanced, complete and unbiased rating and ranking measurement in the industry. 

He made all-state honors in high school as both a junior and senior while also playing four years of basketball.

What NFL draft analysts are saying about Brenton Strange

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein said Strange has good potential as a blocker at the first and second level of attack on rushes and has good burst on his route. He compared him to current New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin.

Conklin was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Central Michigan. During the 2022 offseason, he signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Jets.

“H-back option with a compact frame and a nice blend of athleticism and toughness to fuel his game,” Zierlein wrote in his scouting report. “Strange gets after it as a lead blocker, in-line or in space. There are technique issues that need to be ironed out, but the demeanor and play strength are where they need to be to succeed. While his catch production is pedestrian, he’s athletic in his routes and is an above-average runner after the catch. In a draft filled with high-quality tight end talent, Strange could fly under the radar as a future starter with the potential to operate as a hybrid, three-down talent.”