Patrick Mekari has always had a bit of an inner turmoil about his skill set in the NFL.
On one hand, he knows that being able to play all five offensive line positions kept him employed after he went undrafted in 2019 and the Baltimore Ravens signed him out of California as a free agent.
Jacksonville Jaguars guard Patrick Mekari (65) and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Javon Foster (62) run blocking drills during the fourth organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center on May 27. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union
But the Jacksonville Jaguars free-agent signee would like to realize his potential entering his seventh year in the league by being able to focus all of his attention on one position.
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Mekari is going to get that chance with the Jags, slotted to replace Brandon Scherff at right guard.
But if he’s needed, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Mekari could fill in anywhere. In six seasons with the Ravens, his 50 starts were split thusly: 16 at right tackle, 14 at left guard, 10 at center, seven at left tackle, and, oddly enough, the fewest at his current spot, three at right guard.
“It helps and it hurts,” Mekari said Tuesday, May 27, after finishing a two-hour OTA practice with the Jaguars at the Miller Electric Center. “It gives me an understanding of the whole line, the whole unit and what everybody’s responsibility is, and the difficulties of everybody’s responsibility. But it also hinders me a little bit because I haven’t gotten the opportunity to take many reps at one spot.”
Patrick Mekari got his first NFL chance at center
Mekari played primarily left tackle at Cal and was a second-team All-Pac 12 in 2018. His varied skills earned him a roster spot with the Ravens and he started the last five games of the season at center after Matt Skura was hurt.
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His first assignment: help block Los Angeles Rams All-Pro tackle Aaron Donald. The Ravens won 45-6 that day, rushed for 285 yards and Donald had one assisted tackle.
Jacksonville Jaguars guard Patrick Mekari (65) takes a breather during the fourth organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center on May 27. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union
The pattern continued in 2020. Mekari made five starts at center and three at right guard. He had 12 starts at right tackle in 2021 and four at left tackle in 2022. In the last two seasons, he split time at both tackle spots.
During Mekari’s time in Baltimore, when he played 88 games and started 50, the Ravens led the NFL in rushing four times, and were second one year and third in another. Last season, Mekari allowed only one sack of quarterback Lamar Thomas.
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“I couldn’t be more pleased with him — run blocking, pass protection — his versatility,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh told baltimoreravens.com in 2021.
Mekari said his only preference was to try to stick with one position. He also said there’s no such thing as any given position on the offensive line being easier or harder in the NFL.
“All of them are hard,” he said.
Jaguars make Patrick Mekari a handsome deal
The Jaguars obviously coveted Mekari’s skills. He signed for a reported $37.5 million for three years, with $20 million guaranteed. It was the largest total amount the Jaguars paid for a free agent during the offseason and the guaranteed money matches what reportedly was paid to cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
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The offensive line was a priority for the new regime of coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone. In addition to Mekari, the team signed tackles Fred Johnson and Chuma Edoga and center Robert Hainsey, and drafted guard Wyatt Milum and tackle Jonah Monheim.
It’s all an effort to bolster the run game and better protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence, two crucial aspects of improving one of the NFL’s most anemic offenses last season.
Mekari fitting into Liam Coen’s system well
Mekari is all-in on that and spoke highly of the system Coen has installed and Lawrence’s transition to his third NFL coach.
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“I think I could fit in anywhere but I love right guard … just going out there and being invested,” he said. “It’s a great offense, great coaches, great staff, great organization.”
Mekari said Coen’s offense “widens out” the offensive line.
“It gives us a big bag of tools and we use them as we wish, depending on the scheme,” he said. “And the scheme is really taking advantage of the defense’s weakness. I think if all 11 guys do their job, there’s going to be a spot open on the field for a guy making a play.”
And of Lawrence? Mekari, who played with an NFL MVP in Jackson, is impressed so far.
“Great person, great quarterback, great leader in the huddle and the locker room,” Mekari said. “I’ve got nothing but confidence in him.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars free-agent Patrick Mekari has experience across offensive line