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Blocking, toughness first got Jack Stoll on the field at Nebraska, then with the Philadelphia Eagles
- Luke Mullin 30 min ago
- Lincoln Journal Star
At the time, Stoll, who played at Nebraska from 2016-20, only had seven receptions in his two-year NFL career. He doubled that quickly.
Two months — and eight receptions — later, Stoll and the No. 1-seeded Eagles are gearing up for Saturday's playoff game against the Giants.
Stoll capitalized on his chance, playing a key hand in Philadelphia's 14-3 record this season.
“In the NFL, you never know what opportunities are going to be presented to you,” Stoll told the Journal Star on Thursday.
“I’m lucky that Dallas (Goedert) is such a good dude, because (during) those weeks he was out, he was staying longer with me and making sure we had everything squared away. Whatever you’re asked to do, you just have to go and make the most of it.”
Goedert was only sidelined for six weeks, but Stoll’s impact on the Eagles’ season certainly wasn’t limited to his surprise role as the starter.
All season long, Stoll has made a major impact thanks to his blocking. According to Pro
Football Focus, over 60% of Stoll’s 572 snaps have come as a blocker rather than a receiver. And across the NFL, Stoll is among the top 40 tight ends with the most snaps played this season. In his two seasons with the Eagles, Stoll has started 16 games.
Not bad for an undrafted free agent.
“Jack is a dirty work guy,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said in December. “… He's really savvy on how to get to the guy he's supposed to block and how he adjusts to the picture not being completely clean. He's just got great feel, great instincts and great toughness.”
Those same traits and dedication to blocking got Stoll on the field early in his career at Nebraska. He credits his redshirt year in 2016 and freshman season as a backup for giving him the time needed to understand the tight end’s role in a pro-style offense. And while the system installed by Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf was soon replaced by Scott Frost’s spread-style offense, that too taught Stoll something new about how to be a tight end.
“They (Riley and Langsdorf) did a good job of implementing a pro-style offense to where some of the stuff that we’re doing here, we did in 2016 and 2017 at Nebraska,” Stoll said. “In 2018 when we went to spread, that made me use a different side of my game where I was on the perimeter and not doing as much in-line blocking. I think in my time at Nebraska, I was able to learn what an NFL offense was like and then after that, I learned how to get my perimeter game going a little bit.”
Now two-plus years removed from his senior season in 2020, Stoll remains an avid supporter of Nebraska. When ex-teammate Austin Allen was on the New York Giants practice squad, the duo was able to meet up and watch several Nebraska games this fall, including a brief visit to NU’s road win over Rutgers.
Stoll is also a fan of Nebraska returning to a pro-style offense under new head coach Matt Rhule, saying “I think that’s what we’ve needed.”
Stoll also has plenty of friends remaining in Nebraska, and they’ve been sending him messages of encouragement all season. He often returned the favor, noting that he enjoyed seeing Nebraska tight end Travis Vokolek have a strong senior season as he battled through injuries.
“It’s been great seeing some of the guys I played with go out there and flourish,” Stoll said. “Especially seeing guys like Adrian (Martinez) and Kade (Warner) ball out even if it’s at another school, it was awesome seeing my guys succeed a little bit.”
As he prepares for the biggest game of his entire career to this point, Stoll is thankful for the support and help he’s had along his football journey. From his days at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado, to simply learning the ropes of a new offensive system from tight ends coach Sean Beckton, those experiences molded Stoll into the tough-nosed tight end that beat the odds as an undrafted free agent.
And with a spot in the NFC Championship Game on the line this Saturday, Stoll remains ready for whatever comes his way.
“I think it’d be foolish if I said it was just like any other week, it’s pretty obvious there’s a lot more on the line, but that’s just how we’re preparing,” Stoll said. “There’s the same intensity that we have every week, just maybe with the thought in the back of your head knowing this could be it. We’re just excited to go out there on Saturday night and show what we’ve got.”
Luke Mullin
Husker football/baseball reporterAn Omaha native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, Luke reports on Nebraska football and baseball. Luke is in his fourth year with the Journal Star and previously covered prep sports.
