Colts Scouts Take: Kentucky Offensive Guard Jalen Farmer
Colts Scouts Take: Kentucky Offensive Guard Jalen Farmer
INDIANAPOLIS – You can’t run through him.
When describing offensive linemen, that’s a pretty good quality to have.
And that’s how Colts midwest area scout Tyler Hughes describes Kentucky offensive guard Jalen Farmer.
“This kid can run,” Hughes begins in explaining why he had so much intrigue on the 6-4, 312-pound guard.
“He’s got over 250 pounds of lean mass on him, and he ran (the 40-yard dash in the 4.9s). This kid can open up and run, he’s got quickness, and he’s tough to go through. He’s strong as hell, so that’s one of the most intriguing things about him. You can’t run through him.”
Farmer began his college career at Florida, but after two seasons of seeing little action, he stayed in the SEC, transferring to Kentucky.
With Kentucky, Farmer started 24 straight games at right guard.
The Colts had Farmer graded higher than the 113th spot they took him at in the draft, and actually think there’s some position flexibility in potentially kicking out to tackle.
For now though, Farmer is going to play guard.
The possibility of Farmer pushing Matt Goncalves at right guard was put on hold during the team’s minicamp, as a minor knee injury kept the rookie sidelined.
Of course, for offensive linemen the truest off-season evaluations comes from when full pads get strapped on, which occurs during the second week of training camp.
Even if the Colts keep the expected starting offensive line (LT-Bernhard Raimann, LG-Quenton Nelson, C-Tanor Bortolini, RG-Matt Goncalves, RT-Jalen Travis), the need for a 6th offensive lineman is usually inevitable.
And after an offseason in which the Colts didn’t make any notable outside of the building free agent addition to the offensive line, they seem comfortable if/when Farmer is needed this fall.
“We think very highly of Farmer,” Chris Ballard says. “He’s a big, powerful man, and he’s going to be a really good addition to our o-line, not only from a talent standpoint, but also from a cultural standpoint. He fits what we look for, and we also think he’s got some swing at tackle. So, it’ll be nice to add him in the mix and watch him compete.”
