Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Oliver might become Zach Ertz 2.0

The Jacksonville Jaguars may have found Nick Foles go-to-guy in Josh Oliver, perhaps becoming Zach Ertz 2.0.

The Jacksonville Jaguars addressed many needs in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Jaguars did not select a wide receiver, but may have found their tight end. Perhaps, Josh Oliver, the Jag’s third-rounder and the 69th overall pick, could develop into the next Zach Ertz. In Philadelphia, Nick Foles targeted Ertz for big plays and to move the chains. Jacksonville has sorely missed having that type of tight end. The similarities between Oliver and Ertz are quite striking.

At their NFL Combine appearances, they have identical height and weight at 6-5, 249 pounds. Oliver ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash to Ertz’s 4.76-second time. Oliver, a third-round pick, went one round later than Ertz did in his draft class.

Expect the Jaguars to groom Oliver into the Ertz role on offense. In the Super Bowl winning 2017 season with Philadelphia, Ertz caught 74 passes for 824 yards with eight touchdowns, averaging 11.1 yards per catch.

In the Super Bowl against New England, Foles targeted Ertz nine times and completed seven passes for 67 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Don’t forget, John Defilippo was on that Philadelphia coaching staff and is now the offensive coordinator for the Jaguars. The new Jacksonville offense needed a big play tight end for Foles. Oliver seems to fill that need.

Last season at San Jose State, Oliver caught 56 passes for 709 yards with four touchdowns. He averaged 12.7 yards per reception. Those numbers are very similar to Ertz’s statistics for 2017.

Oliver will move around in passing formations. He will play slot receiver at times. Most of all, Oliver will vertically stretch the field on seam routes downfield. The running game will open up as a result. Leonard Fournette will be the biggest beneficiary by having Oliver on the field. Fournette will not face as many stacked fronts as he has in past seasons — if he can stay healthy.

The Jaguars have a good young tight end for their new quarterback. Let’s hope DeFilippo will find a way to utilize all the offensive weapons at his disposal.