4. Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
Size: 6-5, 258
The Good: When the Mizzou offense was humming, he was one of the nation’s premier receiving tight ends. 11 of his 29 catches as a freshman went for scores, and while he was never quite healthy over his last two seasons, he still finished up his career with 98 catches for 1,187 yards and 23 touchdowns.
There are plenty of knocks – more on that in a moment – but he’s a potential mismatch with his tight end combine-best 4.49 40 speed and his ability to produce in the red zone. He has worked his way to being bigger and stronger, and he’s still improving.
6'5", 258 lbs.@MizzouFootball TE Albert Okwuegbunam runs a 4.49u 40-yard dash!
Would tie for fourth-fastest 40 by a tight end since 2003.
📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/hGZ8nbXRVw
— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2020
The Not-So-Good: He needs work. You’re not drafting him as a blocker, and the biggest problem is his ability to merely stay on the field. He only played in nine games in each of his three seasons – there was always some sort of bump or bruise that kept him out. There’s going to need to be some technique work to be done in all phases.
NFL Draft College Perspective Thought: Don’t overthink this. This is a passing league, and Okwuegbunam is a pass catching tight end. You’ll worry that he’ll always be on the injury report for something, but he’ll also be the type of athlete and talent who’ll end up getting drafted among the top tight ends in fantasy leagues for a long while.
Projected Round: Third