From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Kentucky guard Jalen Farmer.
No. 52 JALEN FARMER/GUARD, KENTUCKY (RS JUNIOR) – 6047, 312 pounds
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Jalen Farmer 6047/312 9 1/4 34 1/4 N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
4.93 1.75 4.31 N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
9’0″ 27 N/A
THE GOOD
– Great size
– Great athletic ability
– Has speed to reach block
– Works well as a puller because of athleticism
– Gets to second level quickly
– Quick change of direction
– Recovers quickly when beaten
– Raw but powerful play strength
– Great anchor in pass protection
– Drives defenders downfield with strength
– Provides great help on combination blocks
– Powerful punch when used
– Solid grip strength
– High IQ in pass protection
THE BAD
– Inconsistent technique ruins athletic ability and size at times
– Fails to fire hands
– Bad hand placement leads to getting chopped
– Out of control feet at all levels
– Can get beaten with speedy pass rushers due to out-of-control feet
– Struggles to attach to assignment in space due to out-of-control feet
– Struggles to find assignment in space
– Average finishing ability because of bad foot balance
– Loses strength with high pad level
– Can struggle to displace powerful pluggers from the gap
– Loses stamina throughout the game
STATS
– Started 24 games across 2 seasons at Kentucky. Transferred from Florida, where he appeared in 4 games across 2 seasons
– 2025: allowed 3 sacks, 0 QB hits, and 14 pressures
– Run Blocking Grade: 67.4. Pass Blocking Grade – 72.4. Overall Grade – 69.8
INJURY HISTORY
– 2023 at Florida: Suffered an upper-body injury that required surgery
BACKGROUND
– Participated in the 2026 Senior Bowl
– Named to Dean’s List in the spring of 2025
– Named to First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2022
– Three-star recruit out of Eastside High School in Georgia
– Ranked the No. 35 Interior Offensive Lineman in the country
– Named the 2021 Georgia AAAAA Region 8 Lineman of the Year
– Also played defensive tackle in high school
– Farmer said he would invite Bernie Mac to dinner if he could choose any famous person
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Jalen Farmer has an interesting play style because his lack of technique does not match up with his athleticism and strength. He is a raw athlete who is out of control with his body, leading to some bad plays on tape. He needs to be coached extremely hard to reset his technique and start over. What makes me optimistic about him is that you can teach technique, you cannot teach the size, strength, and speed Farmer plays with.
This play perfectly encapsulates who Farmer is at right guard. He does not fire his hands and keeps them low at the defender’s stomach, but uses his wide frame and strong upper body to win the rep.
Not firing his hands is a constant problem, which becomes very frustrating when you see how powerful his punch is when he uses it. He stabs quickly to stun the defender, then uses his grip strength to control them and keep them from getting through. This does not count as a pressure, but you see Farmer catching the lineman rather than using technique to win.
Here, the same problem shows up, and Farmer gets snatched because of his poor hand placement. His pad level also rises, which decreases his entire anchor. This is also frustrating because when his technique is right, he has a great anchor and does not get pushed back.
Alongside his poor upper-body technique, his feet are constantly out of control. This leads to him falling on the ground when engaged and some quick losses to speed rushers. He can get in space quickly due to his athleticism, but loses sight of who he is supposed to block and attaches to them.
Although Farmer has technique issues, I cannot quit the fact that he has great size, strength, and power. These are desirable traits for any team, and if he gets paired up with a good offensive line coach who can fix his technique, I think the sky is the limit for Farmer.
He fires off the ball with explosiveness and has the aggression to push defenders back. He not only walls them off but also really gets under their pads at times to move them downfield. As stated before, when Farmer has good technique, he dominates, like on this play.
Farmer struggles to find his assignment in space and is not the smartest run blocker, but it is the exact opposite in pass protection. He handles pullers extremely well and communicates with teammates pre- and post-snap to sort protection. Kentucky had a lot of mental pass-protection errors, but Farmer was not the cause. Here, he uses a quick change of direction to recover after getting slightly beaten inside, but realizes it is a stunt.
He has the athleticism and strength to wall off the looper and keep them from getting to the quarterback. These are the athletic plays that make me optimistic about Farmer.
CONCLUSION
Jalen Farmer is a tough evaluation because the film shows poor technique throughout the entirety of the year. However, his athletic ability and play strength make it hard for me to give up on him. I trust the NFL coaches to make him into a quality player because his tools are so desirable. If he can fix his technique, such as hand placement, quick punches, and pad level, I think he can be a positive player in the league.
NFL Projection: Late Day 2
Steelers Depot Grade: 8.2 (Long-Time Starter)
Grade Range: 6.8-8.6
Games Watched: vs Ole Miss (2025), at Georgia (2025), vs Texas (2025), vs Tennessee (2025)
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