Peanut butter and jelly. Salt and pepper. Bacon and eggs. Iowa and tight ends.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have something in the water in Iowa City as it seems every time they have a tight end they blossom into something special right in front of our very own eyes.
Erick All, in his first year at Iowa after transferring from Michigan, is no exception. All has been dynamic for Iowa in the passing game, providing them the only real spark in that area. His performance this year has garnered some attention as one of ESPN’s NFL draft sleepers (subscription required) to watch.
Another Iowa tight end?! There haven’t been many bright spots on the Hawkeyes’ offense this year, but All has quickly become a go-to target in the passing game, with touchdown catches in back-to-back games. Iowa had just six completions against Purdue on Saturday, but five of them went to All, as he finished with 97 yards and a score.
In a tight end class that lacks depth behind Georgia’s Brock Bowers and Texas’ Ja’Tavion Sanders, All is inserting himself into the second tier. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Michigan transfer was a Day 3 prospect entering the season, and while he’s still realistically in that range, scouts are starting to take notice. He could quickly rise with more strong play. – Jordan Reid, ESPN.
Through six games with the Hawkeyes, All has 19 receptions for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, each one of those totals leads the Hawkeyes. All has nearly double the receptions as compared to anyone else for Iowa and has more than doubled any other yardage total.
That was on display again this past weekend in Iowa’s win over Purdue as All reeled in five grabs for 97 yards, including the eventual game-winning, 22-yard touchdown grab.
He also had a 13-yard, catch-and-run touchdown where he plowed through defenders the week before in a victory over Michigan State. All finished with four grabs for 67 yards against the Spartans.
All will have five years of film for NFL scouts to evaluate and will bring in NFL-ready size when he is drafted. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, All has the athleticism that NFL teams seek in tight ends now more than the blocking type. If he continues his production at Iowa as a very quarterback-friendly target, he has every chance to ascend himself to the elite tight end category.
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