Pats Pulpit
One of the first signings the New England Patriots made during this year’s free agency period was adding veteran fullback Reggie Gilliam on a three-year deal. Gilliam’s addition had a trickle-down effect on the roster, in that it seemingly pushed last year’s FB of choice, Jack Westover, down a spot.
Westover, however, has not been a traditional fullback to begin with. Instead, he is a player who can fill multiple roles on offense and special teams.
Name: Jack Westover
Position: Tight end/Fullback
Jersey number: 37
Opening day age: 27 (6/9/1999)
Measurements: 6’2 5/8”, 252 lbs, 9 1/8” hand size, 32 1/8” arm length, 7.08s 3-cone drill, 4.38s short shuttle, N/A Relative Athletic Score
NFL: Seattle Seahawks (2024), New England Patriots (2024-) | College: Washington (2018-23)
Westover’s high school football career was virtually non-existent. Primarily focusing on basketball at Mount Si in Snoqualmie, WA, he only picked up the sport again — he previously played in seventh grade — ahead of his senior season. However, a broken collarbone limited him to just two games and contributed to no scholarship offers coming his way.
Westover went on to join the University of Washington as a walk-on, and to manage a nice college career. In six seasons with the Huskies, he appeared in 52 games with 16 starts and registered 94 offensive touches for 875 yards and seven touchdowns. He also was named All-Pac 12 honorable mention in 2023.
Nonetheless, Westover was once again overlooked heading into his next transition. He ended up going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft, and joined the Seahawks as a rookie free agent. He lasted less than four months before being released, and another month later made his way to the New England practice squad followed by a promotion to the 53-man roster. Since then, Westover has appeared in 24 combined regular season and playoff games and also added fullback duties to his repertoire.
Strengths: Westover is a good mover at the tight end position, who operates well in space and can find openings in zone coverage or add yards after catching the ball. He is a natural hands catcher who also is flexible enough to move around the formation: he can line up as an in-line or move tight end, play the fullback position or move to H-back and perform decently at all those spots; he also has plenty of special teams experience. Part of it is his football intelligence and ability to recognize defensives structures and make quick decisions.
Weaknesses: Westover is a tweener who lacks any defining athletic traits and has deficits at all of his potential positions. He is undersized by traditional tight end standards, and lacks the length and quickness to be anything but a specialized player at that spot. Meanwhile, his power and feel for leverage are lacking relative to blocking tight ends or fullbacks. He is a player who relies on his feel for the game and effort rather than any special...
