Oklahoma Sooners star Jaren Kanak learning from the NFL’s best at adjusting to new position ahead of NFL Draft
Jaren Kanak is watching some of the NFL’s best in learning yet another position ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Oklahoma Sooners had a breakout season from linebacker turned tight end Jaren Kanak in 2025. Kanak turned into one of their best playmakers on offense, posting 533 yards on 44 receptions. He had to learn a new position in a new offense, and it turned into one of the best stories in recent Oklahoma memory.
As Kanak now prepares for the NFL, he’s once again gearing up to learn another new position. At the East-West Shrine Bowl, Kanak was used often as a fullback/H-back throughout practice. The position is regaining its prominence in the league, and Kanak could be part of a new wave of footballers here at that spot.
I caught up with Kanak at the Shrine Bowl, and asked him how he was preparing for this role. In his own words, he was preparing by watching some of the league’s best in this role.
Jaren Kanak preparing for NFL with unique film study
I asked Kanak how he was preparing for adjusting to yet another unique (perhaps unorthodox) role in the NFL, and he said he spent most of his time studying San Francisco 49ers fullback/weapon Kyle Juszczyk.
“It’s a ton of fun. It’s very similar to the things I did when I was in the box at Oklahoma. I already had a conceptual understanding of what goes on in there as far as the blocking schemes. It’s a fun position to be in, that fullback/jester role, you get to do a lot of stuff and I like that in my game. I think I can be a very versatile player and do a lot of cool things. It’s been fun to explore that position. Obviously, Kyle Juszczyk is a guy I lean into heavily, studying his game, learning about how he goes about playing that position is something I really try to emulate.”
The “Jester” position Kanak means is likely “joker” in other terminology. Essentially, it’s more or less an offensive player who can move around the formation and align in multiple roles or alignments to create mismatches for the offense. Think of players like Evan Engram or Mark Andrews in the NFL, and that’s what Kanak is talking about.
This is a perfect role for Kanak. While he isn’t a traditional tight end in the sense that he can put his hand in the dirt and cave in a defensive end, he is a tremendous athlete who can handle a high mental workload.
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