Jalen Farmer
Experience
Position-Specific Grades
COMBINE RESULTS
The Takeaway
The Player
Farmer’s play is erratic, but he has a high ceiling and you can see flashes of his potential on his tape. He had an outstanding broad jump at the combine and you can see his lower body explosiveness on his tape. He fires off the ball with good pad level and has good initial push in the run game. He flashes finishing power, locks up and drives linebackers when he releases or works up to the second level.
He was tied for the fourth-fastest 40-time for an offensive lineman at the combine. He can get out in front when he pulls and on screens and overpowers defenders in space. He gets down the line quickly on kickout blocks and has the quick feet, frame and range to develop into an effective outside zone run blocker.
His footwork and angles are inconsistent. He gets stood up and battles to a stalemate when he doesn’t keep his pads down. He leans, and falls off blocks and sometimes seems unsure of who to block. He appears to leave too early on combination blocks. On some plays, he tries to bury defenders; on others, he appears content to wall off defenders.
There’s a lot to like about his upside as a pass blocker with his quickness and long arms. He’s big and strong enough to anchor and he moves his feet, changes directions quickly, and mirrors well. But he doesn’t make the most of his length. He doesn’t time his punch well and needs to do a better job of locking out and sinking his hips when he gets his hands inside. He doesn’t anticipate or power down well and gets caught flat-footed. He can overreact to an opposing pass rusher’s first move and get caught out of position.
He started at guard for Kentucky over the past two seasons. He started his career at Florida, playing in four games in two seasons before transferring to Kentucky.
The Draft
Farmer is a mid-round prospect with the potential to outperform his draft slot. No Kentucky offensive lineman has been drafted since 2022.
The Projection
Farmer doesn’t appear ready to be an NFL starter, but he’s naturally talented enough to provide depth as a rookie and develop into a starter over time. Dylan Parham has a similar athletic profile: drafted late in the third round of 2022, he exceeded expectations by starting 63 games the past four seasons.