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Read the entire story about new style Tight Ends

destewart

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this story appeared in 247 Sports recruiting section

The tight end position can be difficult to pin down, given its nature as a mid-point between the offensive line and wide receivers, both in the size of players and required skills. This proves to be the case at the high school level in particular, as the position can prove transient in nature with prospects coming and going as their bodies mature and add size. Big receivers often grow into tight ends while big tight ends often grow into offensive linemen.

Recent NFL Drafts provide an interesting look into the developmental trends for the top players at the position.

  • 26 tight ends have been selected in the first 3 rounds of the last 5 NFL Drafts
  • The group averaged 6-foot-4.4 and 211 pounds as high school prospects with a median weight of 220 pounds.
  • None exceeded 240 pounds as high school prospects.
  • Of the 26, 15 were ranked as tight ends. 4 wide receivers, 2 athletes, 1 quarterback, 1 defensive end, and 1 linebacker account for the remainder with 2 more being recruited for other sports (baseball, basketball).
  • 12 of the 26 were redshirted in their first year on campus with one more taking a medical redshirt as a sophomore.
Expanding to account for all seven rounds, 71 tight ends have been selected in the last five drafts. With the added players and accounting for a higher incidence on pure blocking tight ends taken in later rounds, just four of the 71 were over 240 pounds as high school prospects, with the averages and mean sizes remaining close to the same.

The lack of 240-plus pound prospects being drafted as tight ends could in part be explained by the value of players that size with requisite athleticism on defense.

Creating mismatches in the pass game has become an increasingly critical factor among tight end prospects, so it’s natural to look for big wide receivers who will outgrow their current position and with good reason. In the last five NFL Drafts, just one of the 160 wideouts selected was listed over 220 pounds as a high school prospect. That lone prospect is Jalen Hurd. A five-star running back prospect, Hurd was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers as a multi-positional player who could get snaps at running back and tight end in addition to receiver.

The trends at tight end fall into an overarching theme we’ve found at other positions– “college-ready size” for high school prospects appears to be severely overvalued as it relates to both upside and floor at the college (particularly after one year on campus) and NFL levels. The combination of athleticism and room for physical growth take clear precedence.



Tight end also accounts for more unpredictable athletic transformations than any other position, including the offensive line.

No one would’ve mistaken recent first round picks TJ Hockenson and Evan Engram or breakout all-pro George Kittle as top athletes coming out of high school. Hockenson was the third highest regarded tight end in Iowa’s 2016 class and posted the athletic testing numbers (4.94 second shuttle, 26.8 inch vertical) of an offensive lineman. Engram ran a 4.95 second 40-yard dash as a 6-foot-3, 210 pound receiver. Kittle ended up as the most athletic tight end in a historic 2017 draft class but was a 205 pound receiver with a 4.86 second 40 and 27.5 inch vertical. He was set to sign with Weber State before getting a last second offer from Iowa, his hometown program. The likely explanation for these instances is tied to the high number of tight ends who add significant muscle upon enrolling with certain individuals taking to the gained mass better than others.

Conversely, O.J. Howard is the closest thing we have to a gold standard for a modern high school tight end prospect. In 2018, Howard became the first 247Sports Composite five-star tight end to be drafted in the first round since Greg Olsen in 2007. As an Alabama signee in the 2013 recruiting cycle, Howard was elite athletically. At 6-foot-6, 221 pounds, he posted a 4.49 second 40-yard dash and the highest SPARQ rating among tight ends nationally. Howard was also utterly dominant in a national setting as arguably the best player at The Opening in the summer of 2012.

Few if any could have predicted the athletic transformations of Hockenson, Engram and Kittle. A blind man could’ve pinned Howard as an elite prospect. But as is the case with most processes, we can increase accuracy by looking to improve efficiency within the margins. On that note, Iowa’s Noah Fant and Missouri’s Albert Okwuegbunam are two recent tight end prospects that can serve as instructive examples of what translates from high school to college and the NFL.

A two-way prospect at tight end and defensive end (ranked as an athlete by 247Sports) Fant tested out among the best jumbo athletes in the 2016 recruiting cycle. At 6-foot-4, 211 pounds Fant’s numbers–a 4.64 second 40-yard dash, 4.36 second shuttle and 33.4 inch vertical–weren’t terribly far off from Howard’s. Fast forward a few years later and Fant is a first-rounder after testing as the most athletic tight end in the NFL Draft class and second only to Penn State’s Mike Gesicki in the last six drafts.

If Fant is an illustration of an undervalued athlete as a tight end prospect, Okwuegbunam is the equivalent from a skill perspective. While we don’t have verified testing numbers for Okwuegbunam (though they likely would’ve been good at the minimum), his high school highlights stand alone. At 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, Okwuegbunam lined up at receiver and showed a rare combination of burst off the line, fluidity and ball skills as a pass catcher, ability to stretch the field and outrun defensive backs after the catch. He wasn’t tackled in the first four games of his senior year. Also a strong high school basketball player, Okwuegbunam’s receiving skill has translated to the college level–he enters his redshirt junior season with 17 career touchdowns in 18 games and projects as an early round (potentially first round) pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at some top tight ends in the 2020 recruiting cycle through the lens of the NFL Draft.

The Headliners

Though they’re currently ranked as athletes by 247Sports, Arik Gilbert and Darnell Washington are being recruited by most teams as tight ends. Both are on the heavy side relative to other tight ends and bring some intriguing skills and athleticism to the table.

Gilbert checked in at 6-foot-5.5, 245 pounds at The Opening’s Atlanta Regional and posted a 4.83 second 40-yard dash, 4.50 second shuttle, and 34.6 inch vertical. Gilbert played both ways at TE/WR and defensive end for Marietta (Ga.) against several nationally-ranked teams. He produces at a high level with 1210 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on 88 catches (13.8 yards per catch) while adding 64 tackles and 6 sacks on defense. Gilbert has improved his skills as a pass catcher over the past year and presents a big catch radius with the ability to come down with the ball in contested situations. He looks like a future redzone mismatch as an in-line tight end. Georgia holds all ten picks in his Crystal Ball.

Washington is even larger than Gilbert, measuring 6-foot-7.5, 248 pounds at The Opening’s Los Angeles Regional in February. The Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines two-way player has some unique athleticism, running a 4.78 second 40-yard dash, 4.46 second shuttle and jumping 29.9 inches. It’s fair to consider Washington as a unicorn at the position from a measurables perspective. He presents a huge target across the middle of the field. Washington doesn’t have the sample size or production output of Gilbert as a pass catcher, but has some unquestionably unique qualities. It will be interesting to track his physical progression, given there aren’t many tight ends at his size in the NFL. Alabama has (2) and Georgia (1) account for Washington’s three current Crystal Ball picks.

Alabama commit Drew Sanders is another prospect ranked as an athlete that could play tight end in college. Though he's most likely to play on defense in Tuscaloosa as of this story, don’t be surprised to see the Tide’s offensive staff make a pitch to Nick Saban. Sanders is one of the better overall football players in the 2020 cycle with a wide variety of skills and high-end athleticism at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds.

Notre Dame pledge Michael Mayer currently ranks at the no. 1 tight end prospect in the Top247. Mayer is a well-rounded prospect at the position and presents a low-floor type skill set. Mayer was a muscular 6-foot-4.5, 232 pounds at the Opening’s Nashville Regional and ran a 4.86 second 40-yard dash, 4.28 second shuttle and jumped 30.2 inches.

Now that the truly top-ranked prospects are out of the way, here’s where the fun begins. Based off our study of the position and evaluating the 2020 crop of tight ends, we feel that there are several potential risers within the group including some current four-stars that could continue moving up the ranks with strong senior seasons and in-person evaluations.

Jalin Conyers has gone from relative unknown to the top tight end target for several programs in a matter of months. Hailing from the small town of Gruver in the Texas Panhandle, Conyers had just one Power 5 offer when he was ranked as four-star by 247Sports in mid March and has since added tenders from many of college football’s elite programs–and with good reason. At 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, Conyers is a jack of all trades athlete, playing all over the field including receiver, quarterback, and defensive back. He’s helped his small school to state title appearances in both football and basketball. Conyers is fluid, coordinated, and athletic. He shows good ball skills on both sides of the ball and runs well in pads in addition to the basketball court. He’s backed that up, running in the 4.7’s for colleges this summer. Conyers has room for growth and has 34-inch arms which his the desired threshold for NFL offensive tackles. We continue to be bullish on the Texas standout as he heads into his senior season. He has a final three of Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma with the Sooners holding all of the picks in his Crystal Ball.

Maliq Carr may be the easiest evaluation of the group. While the Oak Park (Mich.) product is intent on being recruited as a receiver, he has truly immense upside as a tight end prospect. Many top tight ends are recruited as receivers out of high school (Mark Andrews being a recent example). At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds Carr has clocked multiple verified 40 times under 4.7 seconds. His athleticism and receiving skill set register on the elite scale for the tight end position, in addition to his size being ideal. Flip on the video, and Carr draws some resemblance to Okwuegbunam with his burst, downfield speed and tracking skills and ability to win in-air. As a junior, Carr averaged an outrageous 39 yards per catch and scored on 9 of his 21 receptions. He’s also a Division 1 prospect in basketball, averaging over 21 points 12 rebounds and 7 assists as junior. The athleticism shows itself on the hardwood, with Carr often flashing above the rim bounce. The desire to play receiver is completely understandable at this stage, but Carr is showing signs of an early round draft pick upside at tight end. Purdue holds 8 of the 11 picks in his Crystal Ball.

Three more intriguing tight ends in the Top247 are Joe Royer, Luke Lachey and Theo Johnson.

Royer and Lachey recently competed head to head at Ohio State’s camp in pursuit of an offer from the in-state Buckeyes. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Royer ended up with the offer, but we’re still bullish on Lachey’s ability. Both are athletic pass catchers. Royer has outstanding quickness and ability to make difficult grabs in traffic. The 6-foot-6, 220 pound Lachey is a highly intriguing athlete with outstanding marks in the high jump in addition to being a college level basketball player. All-pro bloodlines (his father is former NFL offensive tackle Jim Lachey) also don’t hurt. Ohio State accounts for all of Royer’s Crystal Ball picks while Michigan State accounts for all three picks in Lachey’s Crystal Ball.

Johnson hails from Windsor (Can.) Holy Names High School and has a strong combination of size and athleticism at 6-foot-5.5, 240 pounds, running a 4.67 40-yard dash with a vertical over 35 inches. There isn’t a strong track record of highly-recruited Canadian prospects panning out at the next level, but Johnson could break the mold. In person evaluations are big here, given his level of competition north of the border, but he’s impressed in every setting thus far. Penn State (3) and Michigan (1) account for the picks in his Crystal Ball.

Big wideouts who could make the move

With less than 0.5% of drafted wide receivers weighing over 230 pounds in high school, it’s worth taking a look at this year’s group of wideouts for some more potential future tight ends.

The first name that pops out is Calabasas (Calif.) top 50 prospect, Johnny Wilson. He measured 6-foot-6, 220 pounds at The Opening's Los Angeles regional in February and ripped off a scintillating 4.59 second 40-yard dash in bad conditions. Wilson is lethal working up the seam at the high school level and brings high-level ball skills and a huge catch radius to the table. Like Carr, he’s an easy evaluation when viewed as a pass-catching tight end and has enormous mismatch potential at the position. Oregon (3), USC (1) and Washington (1) account for Wilson’s Crystal Ball picks.

Stanford commit John Humphreys (6-foot-5, 205), Texas A&M commit Troy Omeire (6-foot-3.5, 217), Florida commit Jeremiah Johnson (6-foot-6, 215) and Virginia commit Lavel Davis (6-foot-6, 215) are others that could end up as talented tight ends down the line.

Future Tackles?

Oversized tight end prospects can provide a look at future offensive tackles. Frame, length and athleticism are highly coveted in edge protectors and those traits are often found among high school tight end prospects who are big, in-line blockers. In combing through the 2020 tight end group, USC commitment Jack Yary and Arkansas pledge Brandon Frazier are two that immediately jump out as potential tackles. Both have ideal size and athleticism for an offensive tackle prospect at this stage in their maturation process.

For starters, Yary is the son of hall-of-fame offensive tackle Ron Yary. At 6-foot-6.5 and reportedly around 260 pounds, Yary runs a sub 5.0 second 40 and 4.5 second shuttle. Solid marks for a tight end, but elite numbers for an offensive tackle. He’s already a strong blocker and has a large frame to keep adding mass.

As a rising junior, Frazier posted a 4.57 second shuttle and is listed at 6-foot-7, 247 pounds. He’s an athletic basketball player and would be on the very high end in that regard when viewed as an offensive line prospect.

9COMMENTS
Both Yary and Frazier are mid-to-high three-star prospects as tight ends. Both would conservatively have Top247 upside at offensive tackle should their bodies keep trending in that direction given their frames, athleticism and the value of an offensive tackle compared to an in-line tight end.

As always, the senior season will prove critical in tracking the progress and maturation of the prospects highlighted in this story as we continue to gather more information on the 2020 class leading up to the early signing period in December.
 
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