Unpacking Future Packers: No. 1, Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer

Coming in at No. 1 on the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview countdown is Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers need to surround Jordan Love with weapons. As it stands right now, the talent inside the wide receiver and tight end cupboard at 1265 Lombardi Avenue is bare. 

Christian Watson, when healthy, proved to be an electric playmaker and has the makings of the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. Romeo Doubs showed flashes during his rookie season and could be the team’s No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver.  At tight end, Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis sit atop the depth chart. That duo has combined for 48 career receptions. 

The Packers need an infusion of talent at both positions. A tight end that Brian Gutekunst could target in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft is Michael Mayer. The Notre Dame tight end checks in at No. 1 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.

Mayer, a five-star recruit out of Kentucky, enjoyed a successful freshman campaign in 2020 when he caught 42 passes for 450 yards and two touchdowns. Mayer built off that by setting the program record for receptions (71), receiving yards (840), and touchdowns (seven) by a tight end in a single season. This past season, Mayer recorded 67 receptions for 809 yards and nine touchdowns. 

“His production the last two years goes well beyond the raw numbers,” Bryan Driskell, the publisher for Irish Breakdown, said. “Mayer was able to put up outstanding numbers despite having major question woes and despite facing constant double teams from opponents. He was constantly the focus of the opposition’s pass defense, and Notre Dame had to get creative with ways to get Mayer moved around the offense. He also made great individual plays, showing the ability to find open spots despite being the defense’s focal point, and he was hard to defend one-on-one. Mayer also showed a lot of improvement as a player this past season, with his route running and pass-catching becoming a lot more consistent, and his run blocking took huge leaps throughout the 2022 campaign. Mayer is also a tremendous leader, and he helped the Notre Dame locker room stay intact after a couple of bad losses (Marshall, Stanford) and the aforementioned quarterback problems. He’s extremely confident, but he’s not arrogant, and he’s very much a team guy.”

The 2023 NFL draft class is loaded, particularly at the top with talented tight ends. Each one of them brings something different to the party. Darnell Washington is a mauling run blocker. Dalton Kincaid is an explosive playmaker. 

Mayer is the individual that brings a build-your-own six-pack to the party. He has an IPA. He has a sour for the more adventurous folks. He even brings a Miller Lite. Mayer is the most complete tight end in this class. He’s pro-ready and a Top 20 player. 

“It’s hard to pick just one, but his overall feel for the game tops the list,” Driskell said. “Mayer is a very talented athlete, very strong, but he is one of those guys that you use the cliche “he’s just a football player” description for. He knows who to win, he has a great feel for the game, he knows how to make plays and he has been a clutch guy throughout his career.”

At 6-4, Mayer is a big framed target working the middle of the field. He has strong, reliable hands. He makes contested catches look like a walk in the park. As a route runner, he stays collected and balanced in and out of his breaks. He caught a pass in every game he played and rewrote the program’s record book for receptions and receiving yards by a tight end. 

“He developed into a very quality route runner,” Driskell said. “Mayer doesn’t get enough credit for this part of his game. As a junior, he did a better job using his release and stem to manipulate defenders, and his top ends and breaks got sharper. This allowed him to get more separation than he gets credit for. I don’t think folks realize how much other teams focused on him, but he was still able to consistently get open. An underrated part of his route running package is that Mayer knows how to use his size and body to either shield defenders from the ball, or to simply out-play them when the ball is in the air, but it’s his ability to get free that makes his overall game so impressive.”

Mayer isn’t going to win any footraces. With his size and strength, he can be a load to bring down after the catch. He runs hard and is able to run through arm tackles. Once he gets rolling downfield he’s like a freight train. According to Pro Football Focus, Mayer racked up 325 yards after the catch this past season. 

“He’s a better athlete than given credit for, that’s a big part of it,’ Driskell said. “Mayer can make college defenders miss on underneath routes. But the primary reason is what I discussed above, and that’s his underrated ability to separate. You can’t make plays after the catch if you are getting tackled as soon as you catch the football. When he uses it, Mayer has a very good stiff arm, and he started using that more as a junior. In his first two seasons, he kept trying to leap over defenders, but he used his strength more in 2022. Part of it is also what I mentioned above, he has a really good feel for the game and understanding of how to get into the soft spots of the defense.”

Mayer is a good blocker. While he’s not quite the people mover that Washington or even Luke Schoonmaker is, he’s able to sustain his blocks and seal running lanes. 

“For much of his career this wasn’t really a strength,” Driskell said. “Even early this season, but as his junior campaign went on he got better and better, and by the end of the year, it was a key part of his game. Mayer always had the physical tools to be a great blocker. He is big, he is strong, he moves his feet through contact and he has the athleticism to work the edges. His problems were technical, and it didn’t always seem like it was as important. But keep in mind that Mayer is a true junior, so his game was still in the evolution period. As a junior, it clearly became a greater priority to him, and he knew his team needed him to be a great blocker, and he got really good at it. His angles got better, he used his hands better and he became more of a mover instead of just getting in people’s way.”

Fit with the Packers

It’s been 84 years (Rose Dawson voice) since the Packers selected a tight end in the first round of the NFL Draft. 

The last time the Packers selected a tight end in the first round of the NFL Draft was in 2000 when they drafted Bubba Franks with the 14th overall pick.

The Packers need an infusion of talent at the tight end position. History suggests waiting to draft one until the second round. 

Gutekunst can’t let past history dictate what he does in the upcoming draft. They could wait until the second round and take a player like Tucker Kraft in round two and address another position in round one.

Why not just get the best player at a position of need that could make Jordan Love’s life much easier? Mayer has sticky hands that catch everything thrown his way. The Packers need to set their young quarterback up for success and adding a complete tight end like Mayer seems like a no-brainer.

“He’s the total package,” Driskell said. “People will obsess over his speed, but that is even better than people give it credit for. Compare his 40-time (4.70) to guys like TJ Hockensen (4.70), Mark Andrews (4.67), Dalton Schultz (4.75), and Zach Ertz (4.76). His agility numbers at the Pro Day were also very good, especially his 6.97 in the 3-cone drill. Athleticism wouldn’t be a concern for me. So what else matters? Production? He has that, he became Notre Dame’s all-time leading pass catcher for a tight end in just three seasons, and he owns all the single-season marks. Doing that at Notre Dame is like breaking running back records at USC. He’s been durable, he has an all-around game that allows me to use him attached or to move him around the offense. He has very high character and he’s a tremendous leader. If you’re someone who is obsessed with having the next Kyle Pitts, you won’t like Mayer. If you look at the most productive tight ends in the game there is no doubt that Mayer has the talent to become that kind of player.”

The Packers need pass catchers. History suggests that they won’t draft a tight end or a wide receiver in round one.

Last season, Gutekunst selected an off-ball linebacker with the 22nd overall pick. It marked the first time that the Packers drafted a linebacker in the first round since 2006. After just paying De’Vondre Campbell it came as a bit of a shocking selection.

Fast forward a year and it’s possible that Gutekunst breaks another streak by drafting the most well-rounded tight end (that won’t turn 22 until July) in the 2023 NFL Draft. It’s a position of desperate need and it would give Love a much-needed weapon.

Complete list of Packers Wire’s Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series for 2023