Why 49ers think all-grit, no-glamour tight end Luke Farrell can unleash their All-Pros

San Francisco Chronicle​

3 days ago

The hardest part of Luke Farrell's job is excruciatingly difficult. And the San Francisco 49ers tight end discovered just how challenging it was soon after arriving in the NFL.
On Sept. 30, 2021, Farrell, then a rookie with the Jaguars, was given this assignment during his fourth career game: Block the Bengals' 265-pound defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who has since been voted to the past four Pro Bowls.
Farrell slammed into Hendrickson. And separated a shoulder joint.
Hendrickson 'just turned to me and said, 'I know that hurt,'' Farrell said, laughing. 'I was like, 'Yeah, a little bit.''
Welcome to the world of a blocking tight end, part of a niche NFL group whose members mostly serve as an extension of the offensive line. It's unglamorous and demanding work — few notice when they win their seemingly one-sided battles with hulking defensive ends and hell-bent blitzing linebackers — but it can be lucrative for its top practitioners.
Consider Farrell, who has 36 catches for 318 yards and no touchdowns in four NFL seasons. Last year he had 12 receptions for 67 yards and was targeted with six passes during a nine-game stretch. However, those puny numbers translated into big bucks: Farrell signed a three-year, $15.75 million contract with the 49ers in March.
Why did the 49ers make Farrell, who ranks 76th among tight ends in catches since 2021, the 26th highest-paid player at the position ($5.25 million annually)? The question flummoxed fans, none of whom have ever selected Farrell in a fantasy football draft. But Farrell is accustomed to being unrecognized and underappreciated beyond locker rooms.
'The greatest compliments I get are respect from peers,' Farrell said. 'That has a high value. But they understand it and they know the ins and outs of everything and what it takes to do this. The average fan may not necessarily know and it's hard to when you've never done it. But when a fan does (understand), you're like, 'OK, they really know their stuff.''
Farrell felt valued by the 49ers shortly after the start of free agency, agreeing to his deal about three hours after the legal tampering period began March 10. The 49ers weren't alone in pursuing him. But they were the most aggressive. And the most generous.
'The Niners wanted to work fast,' Farrell said. 'And they were far and away the best opportunity as far as what they were offering. So it was, at the end of the day, kind of a no-brainer.'
The 49ers prized Farrell because he's big (6-foot-5, 250 pounds), durable (he has played in 66 of 68 games) and has the skills to capably fill the No. 2 role behind George Kittle that Charlie Woerner held from 2020-23. Woerner, a sixth-round pick, is a celebrated member of the blocking tight end fraternity who signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Falcons last year despite collecting 11 catches in four seasons with the 49ers.
For head coach Kyle Shanahan, an elite blocking tight end isn't a conventional offensive weapon, but it's a player who allows him to take full advantage of his All-Pro offensive weapons. Asked recently about Farrell's value, Shanahan said Farrell's blocking ability can free up Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey to run more routes instead of staying in as an extra blocker.
'It's nice when you can have a tight end who is a good blocker not only in the run game, but also in protection,' Shanahan said. 'So he could come in and he could block a (defensive end) and George and Christian could both be on routes. That's something I thought we had a lot with Charlie Woerner.'
What can happen when a lesser blocker is tasked with the job? The 49ers found out in their blowout loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game in January 2023. Instead of Woerner, Shanahan had tight end Tyler Kroft block Pro Bowl pass rusher Haason Reddick, who easily dismissed Kroft and delivered a hit that tore quarterback Brock Purdy's elbow ligament.
'I think,' Shanahan said, 'a No. 2 tight end in the NFL is huge.'
Shanahan isn't the only head coach who has coveted Farrell, who had 34 catches in four seasons at Ohio State and 91 catches in his final three years at Perry (Ohio) High School in suburban Cleveland.
Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer offered Farrell a scholarship after he had 15 catches for 226 yards as a sophomore. Seven years later, Meyer, then the Jaguars head coach, was the reason Jacksonville selected Farrell in the fifth round after his five-catch senior season.
'He's great,' Meyer said after Farrell was drafted. 'He'll be an NFL player for a really long time.'
Farrell had options if he didn't become an NFL player. He had a 4.5 GPA in high school and was a four-time All-Academic Big Ten pick who had a 4.0 GPA in his final two years. Farrell was a human development and family studies major who wanted to become a physical therapist if his career ended after Ohio State.
Instead, Farrell is studying the 49ers' intricate offense and enjoying the process. It has similarities to past systems in which he has played, but the strong emphasis on zone-blocking concepts is different.
'It's, 'This is who we are, this is what we do, this is how we're going to do it,' which is great for a guy like me,' Farrell said. 'I love the detail. I love the expectation of having everyone on the same page.'
In March, Farrell's agent called him to relay the 49ers' contract offer when Farrell was driving in southwest Cleveland shortly after the start of free agency. Farrell pulled into a grocery store parking lot to discuss the details and speak with his parents about his decision.
It was a validating moment for a No. 2 tight end who has had fewer than two catches in 59 of his 66 NFL games. Farrell was confident he had done stellar work in the shadows, blocking brutes like Hendrickson, but he was also accustomed to going unnoticed.
The contract made it clear: He had been seen by a team who saw far more than his stats.
'I knew it was a possibility,' Farrell said. 'It was an exciting possibility. And now that it's real, it's very exciting.'