1. Michael Mayer – Notre Dame

6’4 1/2″ 249 lbs.
When you play the tight end position at Notre Dame, you are destined to be drafted into the NFL. Mayer, nicknamed “Baby Gronk”, is a do it all type of tight end. He’s a monster blocker in the run game, and often times need multiple defenders to take him down once he has the ball in his hands. Mayer plays well through contact whether that be while running his routes, on his breaks, or when catching the ball. Possessing a large catch radius, and extremely strong hands, he has the potential to be a quarterbacks best friend. Mayer understands how to use his body and size to help protect the ball when draped by a defender. He did run a limited route tree, but was still able to get open by demonstrating speed variants and explosive cuts. Mayer wasn’t afraid to play in-line, and when put outside he is a matchup nightmare due to his size speed combination. Although he wasn’t the fastest, his catch radius and physicality helps him win reps. During the run game, Mayer was ferocious when blocking. However he tends to be too reckless by wrapping up instead of punching forward on the defenders chest plate. I have him projected as the first tight end off the board late in the first round. 

2. Dalton Kincaid – Utah

6’4″ 246 lbs.
Dalton Kincaid is this years unicorn as a pass catcher. He has established himself as the best receiving tight end coming out of college since Kyle Pitts. At Utah, he showed off his great hands and ability to catch the ball wherever it was within his catch radius. Kincaid’s knowledge of defensive coverages shines as ur often shortens or gets skinny in his routes. With his elite body control, Kincaid adapts well to the ball. Whether that be extending up high, or getting down low, he is always the first to the ball and utilizes his big frame to secure catches through contact. Didn’t run the fastest 40 at 4.71, but has great game speed, and always gains yards after the catch with his shiftiness as a big man. The blocking department is really where Kincaid needs some work. He doesn’t show a lot of technique and seems to struggle when playing in-line. He does do a fine job when out in spaces, just struggled against bigger opponents and guys with their hand in the dirt. Realistically Kincaid could be the first tight end off the board. It really comes down to who’s going to take a tight end that’s a liability in the run game. 

3. Darnell Washington – Georgia

6’7″ 264 lbs.
More of a traditional tight end where blocking is at the forefront of his arsenal, Darnell Washington could be a monster in the NFL if he works on his ability to get open and catch the ball. At 6’7″ and 264 pounds, Washington can line up on any defender and fight to win every rep. Despite the fact that he’s a physical freak, his blocking technique really needs some work, but he gets away with it due to his length and strength. He did show promise in pass protection with good footwork and strong hands. Washington sometimes looked stiff in his route running, you would like to see him be a little more flexible and explosive when participating in the passing game. He really needs to work on his hands as he had far too many drops to consider him as a legit receiving threat. You could see Washington drop in the draft due to this reason, but teams that run lots of 12 personnel could snag him in the second round. 

4. Sam LaPorta – Iowa

6’3″ 245 lbs.
Rounding out my list of tight ends is Sam LaPorta who played in a weak offense at Iowa. This prevented him on truly breaking out and showing all his potential as a pass catcher. LaPorta has good straight line speed, running away from defenders when utilized in the intermediate game. He shows good release off the line of scrimmage and creates separation at the top of the route. LaPorta didn’t run a wide variety of routes, and didn’t run then at an extremely high level, rounding out cuts and showing a lot of speed variation. Another knock on his route running ability is the fact that he didn’t play well through contact during his route development. Getting knocked off balanced in which disrupted the timing between him and his quarterback. LaPorta shines when he gets the ball in his hands as he is shifty and quick for a big guy. He thrives in open space and maximizes potential yards gained by showing relentless effort when being tackled. He isn’t a stellar blocker, but is very willing to participate in the run game. He takes on every defender he’s lined up against with confidence, but lacks the strength and push to create a running lane for his running backs. Sam LaPorta looks like a teams TE2 at the next level because of his receiving upside, and inconsistent blocking. I have him being a late day 2, early day 3 selection.