The Jacksonville Jaguars made an aggressive effort to beef up the offensive trenches in the offseason. After adding a couple of starters and a pair of backups in the offseason, the front office used a couple of draft picks to further bolster the draft of scrimmage. One of them made the most of his chances to shine in the offseason opener.
Third-round pick Wyatt Milum logged 37 snaps on offense and posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 68.6 along the way against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 of the preseason.
What stood out about the former West Virginia Mountaineer's performance was that he's projected to line up at guard in 2025 but exclusively played at both tackle spots in the opener. On top of that, he only gave up one total pressure.
Liam Coen heaped massive praise on Jaguars rookie Wyatt Milum after the Steelers game
Following the 31-25 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Liam Coen met with the local media and praised Milum, bringing up one play in which the rookie offensive lineman showed big-time effort to finish a block.
"I think overall, you felt a good sideline vibe down there, in terms of, there was good energy. You know, we had Wyatt Milum take a dude to the sidelines on a screen that drove him all the way to the stands," Coen said when asked about the culture he wants to build (4:20 mark). "We shoved, got the run in from that whatever yard line where nine guys, or whatever, pushing the pile."
Also in the preseason opener, Mia O'Brien credited the rookie hog mollie, along with Sal Wormley, for opening a running lane for running back Tank Bigsby.
Back-to-back plays where RT Wyatt Milum, RG Sal Wormley have cleared a running lane for Tank Bigsby#Jaguars | #DUUUVAL
— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) August 9, 2025
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Wyatt Milum may have an impact for the Jaguars sooner or later
Leaving aside his strong showing in the preseason, Wyatt Milum has gotten rave reviews since the Jaguars drafted him in April. Liam Coen praised him for his toughness and penchant for finishing blocks at mandatory minicamp. On the other hand, Dan Fornek of FTN Fantasy thinks the Kenova, West Virginia native could end up becoming an impact starter in Jacksonville.
JP Acosta of SB Nation, for his part, argues that Milum is a bit stiff in his lower body and may be better suited to play guard but otherwise brings the physicality the Jags have sorely needed across the offensive line.
Of course, Milum won't have a clear path to the starting lineup. Ezra Cleveland, the incumbent at the left guard spot, was underwhelming last year, but has seemingly turned the corner in the offseason. It looks like he'll be able to hold off his rookie counterpart for the foreseeable future.
This means that Milum may open the regular season as the primary backup at guard. However, he's shown enough in training camp and the offseason to make you think that he'll fare well if called upon. Heck, it may be a matter of time before he joins the starting lineup. And once he does, he probably won't look back.
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