7. Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 257
40-Yard Dash: 4.73 seconds
Bench Press: 16
Vertical Jump: 30.5 inches
Broad Jump: 9 feet 7 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Coming out of high school Devin Asiasi had a number of options, including USC, UCLA and Washington. But he chose to leave the west coast behind and enrolled at Michigan to play for Jim Harbaugh. He played in 13 games for the Wolverines in 2016, catching two passes for 18 yards. But after just one year he headed back west, transferring to UCLA.
2019 was his single year of solid production. Last year he caught 44 passes on 68 targets for 641 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 14.6 yards per reception. He dropped just one pass a year ago, the third-lowest drop rate among tight ends according to Pro Football Focus and their charting data.
Stat to Know: Many of the tight ends in this class did their best work detached from the line. Asiasi, however, averaged three quarters of a yard more per route working inline as opposed to when he was outside, according to PFF charting data.
Strengths: Asiasi also has the potential to become an all-around tight end, thanks to his combination of blocking skills and what he was able to do do releasing from an inline alignment. As a receiver he shows the awareness to find open spaces in zone coverage, and his releases off the line of scrimmage are sudden and with purpose. He threatens the leverage of the nearest defender well, and when jammed off the line he barely loses a step. After the catch he can do some damage, thanks to his combination of power and size. He averaged 5.6 yards after the catch this past season, and he’ll be someone who will fight for that extra yard on a pivotal third down situation.
As a blocker, Asiasi is dependable both inline and when working in space. He showed good footwork on both zone and gap/power schemes, and even showed some power at the point of attack in both designs. UCLA was not afraid to run behind him, unlike some of the other offenses and their tight ends from this class. He can even trap interior defensive linemen from an H-Back or a wing alignment, another rare trait from this TE group. He was used both as a lead blocker from an H-Back alignment on gap/power designs, and also as an arc blocker in front of the quarterback on some zone running packages.
Weaknesses: Despite the lack of drops, Asiasi could be better in traffic. He often let the football come into his frame rather than going and getting it, which is something to watch. He lacks the long speed of some of the players in this class, making him a better option against zone coverage than man coverage. The effort is there on his routes, but with some refinement they could be much more improved. At times the routes lack a sense of urgency. You could also see that on some slice block opportunities working across the formation, as he would be late to arrive to the backside, letting his responsibility impact the play in the backfield. Asiasi also has a tendency to drop his eyes before contact when working as an inline blocker, making him susceptible to swim moves right before impact.
Conclusion: With so many move-type TEs in this class, Asiasi could benefit from being one of the more traditional type players available to teams. He has the traits and the film to play more of an inline role, and for teams looking to fill that kind of spot he might be a great option late in the draft. There is something to work with when it comes to the receiving part of the position, and his awareness to find grass against zone coverage is notable, and something that other players will need time to develop.
Comparison: Asiasi is reminiscent of Luke Willson, a player more in the blocking-TE mold but who can contribute with awareness in space and against zone coverage. He might not develop into a top-flight, TE1 type of player but there is always a role to be found for a player with his skillset.