Jalen
Travis.
Jalen
Travis.
Iowa St.· 6'8"· 339 lb· 5.14s 40
"A 6-8, 339-pound Ivy League left tackle who arrived at Iowa State for one season and left as the highest-drafted Princeton player of the modern era, Travis is the rarest thing on Day 3 — a real developmental tackle with starter-caliber physical dimensions."Pre-draft read
Travis is enormous and he blocks like it. He is a knee-bender in the run game who generates movement on gap and duo concepts, and once his 34.875-inch arms latch on a defender the rep is over. Down blocks and combination work are where he looks like a professional today, and the 10.5-inch hands mean he does not lose grip battles.
In pass protection the picture is less settled. His set is long and deliberate, and against speed off the edge he can be beaten to the corner before his second kick lands — the 5.14 forty and 8.08 three-cone are honest about that. He also plays high at times, which is the natural tax on a 6-8 frame, and a low bull rush can drive him back into the quarterback. The tools to fix both are there; the reps are not.
The Colts primarily operate a run-heavy, play-action-oriented spread offense that values athletic linemen capable of moving in space.
Travis's elite size and strength suggest a future as a starting right tackle, but he may initially serve as a depth/swing tackle, excelling in gap and power run schemes.
He would struggle in a pure outside zone scheme that requires lighter, more agile linemen to consistently reach and cut off pursuit.
Travis's combination of overwhelming size and raw power makes him an intriguing prospect for Indianapolis, offering immediate run-blocking upside and developmental potential, albeit with athletic limitations.
2025 NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: Jalen Travis | OL | Iowa State
Jalen Travis Left Tackle Highlights
Jalen Travis 2025 NFL Draft Tape | Iowa State OL
The developmental path is unusual. Travis lost 2020 to the cancelled Ivy League season, played nine games in 2021, took over at left tackle for Princeton in 2022, and made six starts in 2023 before an injury ended his year — earning second-team All-Ivy and Campbell Trophy semifinalist recognition. He transferred to Iowa State for 2024, missed the first two games hurt, then started at left tackle the rest of the season and played in the Senior Bowl.
The testing is the reason he was drafted where he was. At 6-7.75 and 339 pounds he ran 5.14, put up 26 bench reps, jumped 35 inches, and measured with 34.875-inch arms and 10.5-inch hands. That is a starting NFL left tackle body with a strength base already attached.
The honest evaluation is that he has one full Power Five season, an interrupted college career and a technique file that is thin because of it. Everything a team cannot teach — length, mass, grip strength, functional power — he already has. Everything they can teach, he still needs. He is a two-year project with real starter equity at the end of it, which is exactly what a fourth-round tackle pick should be.
- 01
Physical dimensions
He measures 6-7.75 and 339 pounds, with 34.875-inch arms and 10.5-inch hands.
- 02
Drive block power
He displays genuine drive-block power on gap and duo concepts, moving defenders off the spot.
- 03
Elite grip strength
Once he latches on, the defender is finished.
- 04
Strong testing base
He posted 26 bench reps and a 35-inch vertical jump for his size.
- 05
High character
He is a coachable, high-character prospect recognized as a Campbell Trophy semifinalist.
- 01
Limited experience
He has only one full Power Five season, leaving his technique file thin.
- 02
Slow lateral movement
His lateral kick-slide is slow, allowing pure speed rushers to beat him to the corner.
- 03
Plays high
He plays high at times, which invites the low bull rush into the pocket.
- 04
Injury interruptions
Injuries in both 2023 and 2024 shortened his development window.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.14sp50
- Vertical
- 35inp50
- Broad jump
- 112inp50
- Three-cone
- 8.08sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.94sp50
- Bench
- 26repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Princeton | 9 |
| 2022 | Princeton | — |
| 2023 | Princeton | 6 |
| 2024 | Iowa State | — |
| Career | — | 15 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- Second-team All-Ivy League (Princeton, 2023)
- William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist (2023)
- 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl invitee
- Highest-drafted Princeton player of the modern draft era
Swing tackle who spot-starts, holds up in the run game and never quite locks down a job.
Massive, raw tackle whose length and power turned into an elite starter with patient coaching.
Depth tackle whose pass sets never catch up to NFL speed off the edge.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Indianapolis got more out of year one than a Day 3 developmental tackle usually gives. Travis dressed for all 17 games and made four starts — a meaningful number for a rookie with a single Power Five season on his resume — and served as the primary swing option on both sides.
Tackle rookie years do not produce box scores, so the read is availability and trust: he was never inactive and he was the man the staff turned to when a starter went down, which is a substantially faster timeline than the two-year project label implied in April. The pass-protection questions have not been answered at scale — four starts is a sample, not a verdict — but the run-game power showed up immediately. He is on the swing-tackle path with the starter branch still open.