The Green Bay Packers must use the 2020 NFL Draft to provide the finishing touches on a team that won 13 regular-season games and got within one game of the Super Bowl during Matt LaFleur’s first season as head coach.
Between now and the draft, Packers Wire will periodically break down one top prospect fitting the Packers’ roster needs.
Up next is Dayton tight end Adam Trautman:
What he can do
– Has desired size and strength for in-line blocking duties (listed at 6-5, 255)
– Large catch radius. Expands the strike zone for his quarterback. Can make tough catches away from his frame
– Sure-handed. Has the concentration to finish catches in traffic. Doesn’t allow many balls into his frame. Very good high-point skills. Dominated the FCS as a red-zone target
– Fluid and flexible athlete. Ran a 6.78 3-cone at the NFL Scouting Combine, a figure that ranks him fifth among all tight ends who participated since 2006
– Skilled route runner despite inexperience (played quarterback in high school). Transitions smoothly in and out of breaks. Has a good feel for how to set up defenders
– Has the potential to become a preferred red-zone target and quality short-to-intermediate receiving threat
– Brings tenacity as an in-line blocker and has the strength to displace defenders once he latches on. Was pretty effective as a run-blocker against FCS competition, but he didn’t consistently play with sound technique and he’ll likely need technical refinement to maintain his blocking effectiveness as an NFL player. Has a tendency to play upright and top-heavy. Hand placement can be erratic
– New to the tight end position and may still have considerable untapped potential
– Mediocre long speed. Ran a 4.80 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Won’t threaten defenses vertically with speed
– Not much of a run-after-catch threat. Can break a tackle here and there, but won’t outrun many defenders or make them miss in space very often
– Questions about translating his skills to the NFL level are valid. Against FCS competition, he rarely faced NFL-caliber players
– Dominated FCS competition with 110 receptions, 1,511 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns in two years as a starter and performed well against elevated competition at the Reese’s Senior Bowl
How he fits
The Packers don’t currently have a proven, capable starter at tight end. 2019 third-round pick Jace Sternberger could ultimately become that, but he wasn’t able to show much during an injury-riddled rookie campaign. Marcedes Lewis was retained on a one-year deal this offseason, but he’s an older veteran and primarily a blocking tight end. Robert Tonyan, for all his talent, has yet to prove that he can make more than a few flash plays over an entire season.
If drafted by the Packers, Trautman could form a nice pairing with Sternberger. Head coach Matt LaFleur likes to use two tight end sets, so the Packers could get both players on the field at the same time for a fair number of snaps. I also think Trautman has more upside as an in-line blocker than Sternberger and Sternberger has a little more vertical receiving potential, so they could end up complementing each other very nicely in a few years.
NFL comp
Trautman reminds me of Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert. Goedert is nearly identical in size (6’5″, 256 lbs.) and he also played at an FCS school (South Dakota State). Both players are fluid and nuanced route runners, both are quicker than fast, both have strong ball skills, and both have the versatility to play in-line or flexed out.
Where Packers could get him
Trautman is expected to be drafted somewhere in the Day 2 range. He could be the first tight end off the board and a mid-to-late second-round pick. If enough teams dock him for being a small-school tight end prospect with modest top-end speed and raw blocking technique; however, he could slide a little ways – perhaps to the mid-to-late third-round range. Regardless of where he’s drafted, he’s likely a top-100 pick.
Considering the weakness of the tight end class this year and the presence of Sternberger on the roster, I just can’t endorse spending a first- or second-round pick on that position. The value just doesn’t appear to be there. The Packers already have a year invested in Sternberger, who, in my opinion, is a comparable prospect to any of the top tight ends in this year’s draft. Tight end also tends to be a slow-developing position historically speaking, so that’s another factor to consider.
If Trautman slid to the third round, he’d be worth strong consideration, but in the first two rounds, the Packers could probably find more of an immediate impact from players at other positions.
Previous Prospects for the Pack
WR Tee Higgins
LB Kenneth Murray
LB Patrick Queen
WR Jalen Reagor
WR Justin Jefferson
TE Harrison Bryant
WR Denzel Mims
WR Brandon Aiyuk
WR/TE Chase Claypool
LB Zack Baun
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither
OT Josh Jones
OT Austin Jackson
S Antoine Winfield Jr.
DL Raekwon Davis
DB Xavier McKinney
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
DL A.J. Epenesa
TE Hunter Bryant
RB Jonathan Taylor
RB Zack Moss
WR Michael Pittman
WR K.J. Hamler
WR John Hightower
LB Jordyn Brooks
LB Troy Dye
LB Willie Gay Jr.
OT Jack Driscoll
WR Devin Duvernay
OT Ezra Cleveland
WR Van Jefferson
OT Andrew Thomas
S Grant Delpit
TE Cole Kmet
OT Tristan Wirfs
QB Jordan Love
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
DB Jeremy Chinn
RB/WR Antonio Gibson
DL Jordan Elliott
DB K’Von Wallace
WR Bryan Edwards
DL Ross Blacklock
LB Logan Wilson
DL Justin Madubuike
RB Cam Akers
LB Malik Harrison
RB Darrynton Evans
WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
WR Gabriel Davis
LB Josh Uche
CB Trevon Diggs
DB Terrell Burgess
OLB Terrell Lewis
CB A.J. Terrell
WR Quintez Cephus
TE Albert Okwuegbunam
QB Jalen Hurts
WR Tyler Johnson
IOL Cesar Ruiz
DB Ashtyn Davis
WR Quez Watkins
OT Ben Bartch
IOL Matt Hennessy
WR Isaiah Coulter
RB J.K. Dobbins
OT Lucas Niang
RB A.J. Dillon
TE Dalton Keene
DL Jason Strowbridge
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