Gordon will surely face competition during training camp to be Wilson’s backup during the 2020 season, but there is little doubt Seattle found themselves a strong contender for the job, based on his college production and the recent success of his predecessor, Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew.
In fact, Gordon was named the second best undrafted free agent who has agreed to terms with a new team, according to Pro Football Focus.
PFF had Gordon No. 82 overall on their draft board, which falls behind University of Washington tight end Hunter Bryant – who went undrafted and agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions.
“NFL teams often fall in love with the quarterbacks who have ideal size and big arms while discounting the most important trait a quarterback needs to be successful — accuracy,” Ben Linsey of PFF wrote in the article. “He joins Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks on the roster at the moment, in prime position to earn a backup job in the same state he played in college.”
Gordon was expected to get drafted on Day 3 of the NFL draft. His free-fall out of the draft entirely could be a blessing in disguise though, as he gets to develop under superstar Russell Wilson – which should help him hone his skills in the short-term, and could potentially land him a cushy job as his backup during the 2020 campaign.
A comprehensive look at what 2020 NFL Draft guides said in their evaluations of Detroit Lions UDFA tight end Hunter Bryant.
To get a better look at the Detroit Lions undrafted free agent tight end Hunter Bryant, let’s take a look at how draft analysts evaluated him in their 2020 NFL Draft guides and website profiles.
“A two-year starter at Washington, Bryant lined up across the formation in Chris Petersen’s shotgun spread offense, doing most of his damage out of the slot. He battled two serious knee injuries over his first two seasons for the Huskies, missing 12 total games, but he stayed healthy and productive in year three, finishing No. 2 in school history in career receiving yards (1,394) by a tight end. With his speed and run balance, Bryant is a dynamic threat before and after the catch, making it tough for single tacklers to ground him in space. While he shows athletic ball skills, he is a low-percentage finisher with crowded catch points. As a blocker, he struggles to sustain and shouldn’t be expected to handle inline duties. Overall, Bryant is a low-ceiling blocker and could use a few more credits in receiving school, but his plus athletic traits as a pass-catcher make him a potential mismatch “move” tight end if the medicals are clean.”
“He will get the matchup-tight-end moniker, but scouts feel like he’s more of a big slot receiver in the pros. He doesn’t have ideal size or determination as a blocker, but he has sticky hands with the acceleration to work past linebackers and threaten seams. He’s a straight-line mover who gets bogged down in and out of breaks. He has playmaking ability but needs linear routes that allow him to keep moving on all three levels. Bryant is a scheme-dependent pass-catcher with a higher ceiling, but lower floor and a history of knee injuries that will need clearance by NFL medical staffs.”
“You could tell Bryant was something special way back as a freshman when he was stealing targets from Drew Sample. He had this H-Back body, but kept getting lost behind linebackers and defenses had no answer. Unfortunately, his knee injury complications never let us see what he could be as a sophomore in 2018, but we finally got to see the realy Bryant go off this past season. There’s no questions about him as a receiver, rather whether the 6-2, 240 pounder will even be treated as a tight end by opponents. Before you write him off entirely as a blocker, I’ll remind you that Delanie Walker – one of the best blocking tight ends of the past decade – came into the league at 6-1, 240 pounds.”
“Hunter Bryant should be a dynamic receiving threat at the NFL level. Bryant brings excellent quickness, run after catch skills and versatility to a flex tight end role. Plugging Bryant into a traditional inline role will water down his receiving skills — he’s best working off the LOS or as a flexed slot receiver who can serve as a H/W/S mismatch for opposing defenders. If Bryant it put in such a flex role, look for early production and long-term starter status in the pros.”
“Bryant is one of the top tight ends in the upcoming NFL draft class. He isn’t your grandfather’s type of tight end, but more of a big slot receiver in the body of a tight end. Bryant is an absolute weapon in the passing game, if you are looking for a pass catching threat then this Bryant is for you. Get him running up the seams and let the man work.”
For a more detailed breakdown of all seven new Lions, be sure to check out our 2020 Lions UDFA tracker, and below is a shorter overview of the class with some fun details from the Lions.
Hunter Bryant, TE, Washington
Hunter is a move tight end who will complement the Lions tight end room. He was Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 tight end prospect in this class, the Athletic’s Dane Brugler sixth-best, and has a legitimate shot at securing the TE 3 or 4 role on the Lions roster.
Bryant was a First-Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2019 and 1-of-3 finalists for the Mackey Award, given to the NCAA's top tight end. pic.twitter.com/i8NODaRaAu
An Australian punter who can do some amazing things with a football. After the release of Matt Wile, it appears, Siposs will compete with Jack Fox for punting duties this offseason.
Elliot’s ball skills point to him potentially being a single-high safety in the Lions scheme, and if he can show more range, he will have a chance to challenge C.J. Moore for the fifth safety role.
Dinson is a slot corner/safety tweener whose coverage and tackling skills could earn him a spot on the backend of the roster. He will likely compete with Will Harris and Jayron Kearse in the slot.
From the highlights I was able to obtain and watch, Price has a very similar body type and play style to Tracy Walker and could be a developmental project at the JOKER safety position.
A pure fullback option who can contribute on special teams, he was rarely used on offense for more than blocking purposes. He will push Nick Bawden for a role on the roster.
Wirtel was the long snapper for the Matt Patricia North squad at the Senior Bowl and was almost universally regarded as the second-best long snapper in this draft class — the first, Blake Ferguson, was drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins.
The Cowboys lost their sack leader Robert Quinn to the Chicago Bears in free agency, leaving a major hole opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. LSU’s K’Lavon Chiasson, regarded as the second-best edge rusher in the draft, has had a virtual meeting with the Cowboys recently, and according to this mock draft, he’ll be in Dallas midway through the first round.
17. Dallas Cowboys| K’Lavon Chaisson| Edge | LSU
The secondary needs help, but the value isn’t there at corner or safety compared to other positions of need. Dallas fortified the interior of their defensive line with veterans in free agency, but they still need an edge rusher to pair with DeMarcus Lawrence. Chaisson has the physical tools and upside to become a dominant player.
Chaisson would instantly bolster the Cowboys defensive front who ranked 19th in sacks last season. The Cowboys are looking to use multiple fronts and have a SAM/DPR (Designated Pass Rusher) position which seems ideal for a player like Chaisson.
51. Dallas Cowboys| Antoine Winfield, Jr | S | Minnesota
Since the days of Darren Woodson and Roy Williams, the Cowboys have been trying to find their next stud at safety. Antoine Winfield, Jr makes for a nice complement opposite free safety Xavier Woods and add more young depth at the position with 2019 sixth-round pick Donovan Wilson.
82. Dallas Cowboys | Hunter Bryant | TE | Washington
Long-time veteran Jason Witten is now with the Las Vegas Raiders which means the evolution of Blake Jarwin is set to take place. However, adding another dynamic tight end like Hunter Bryant, who was first-team All-PAC 12 in 2019, would give Dak Prescott yet another shiny toy to play with.
123. Dallas Cowboys | John Hightower | WR | Boise State
The loss of Randall Cobb has left a hole at slot receiver. John Hightower of Boise State, who’s amassed over 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns over the last two seasons, would fit right in at the slot receiver position as the third option behind Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.
The Cardinals get help on offense and defense but not at the positions most people expect.
We are near the end of the mock drafts and this latest from Dane Brugler of The Athletic has the Arizona Cardinals doing the unthinkable. While most would say the Cardinals are certain to focus on two positions — offensive tackle and receiver — Brugler’s seven-round mock draft has them taking neither position at any point in the draft. ‘
Here is this mock draft plays out.
Round 1: Auburn DL Derrick Brown
Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
This definitely would not be the first time Brown is projected to go to the Cardinals. He fills a need and some believe he is one of the best players in the draft. He very possibly is a starter on the defensive line with Corey Peters and Jordan Phillips to open the season. In this mock draft, the only offensive lineman not available is Tristan Wirfs. Will the Cardinals pass on three of the other tackles and all the receivers?
If the Bears decide to use one of their second-round picks on a tight end, they’ll likely have their pick of the draft class.
When a position has snakebitten the Bears, it really leaves its mark. Last year, it was kicker. This year, it’s tight end. And despite the fact that the Bears currently have nine tight ends on their roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise if general manager Ryan Pace drafted another one this year.
If the Bears decide to use one of their second-round picks on a tight end, they’ll likely have their pick of the draft class. Chicago could be the first team to take a tight end, although there are some that argue that there aren’t any tight ends that should be taken in the first two rounds.
But for the Bears, who have just two picks in the first four rounds, if Pace wants to take his shot at a tight end — that doesn’t involve trading up — it might require using one of those second rounders to get his guy.
Let’s take a look at five tight ends Chicago could target in the NFL Draft:
1. Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Kmet is arguably the best tight end prospect in the NFL Draft, and it’s easy to see why he’ll likely be the first tight end off the board. While Kmet lacks the speed that would make him an explosive receiving threat, he has the size to be an effective “Y” or “blocking” tight end.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t contribute in the passing game, as well. Kmet was one of the best tight ends in college football in 2019, where he caught 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns. If the Bears were to draft Kmet, he’d likely take the role currently occupied by Adam Shaheen, who hasn’t found much success after Chicago drafted him in the second round four years ago.
Arizona has reportedly been doing their homework on this year’s tight end class – who could they take?
A recent tweet from ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss shows a direction Arizona could go in the draft this year. They have been researching the tight ends in the draft, which comes as no surprise, as they research all players and positions in every draft class.
The Cardinals have also been doing their research on tight ends in this year’s draft class, a source said. Arizona had workouts scheduled with a handful but those, obviously, got canceled.
However, this year is not a year to really desire a tight end, at least not per most experts. The consensus is you might be lucky to grab a starter, but if you’re looking for a solid role player, you can maybe find one of those.
With Arizona having locked up Maxx Williams for two more seasons, the pressure to find a starter might not be there. They also seem to like Dan Arnold, evidenced by his usage later in the year.
So what this may mean is that Arizona could look this particular direction on Day 3 of the draft. Here are some of the tight ends they could target:
Hunter Bryant, Washington
Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Bryant is on this list because he is Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated tight end. He’s known as a move tight end, although many experts wonder if he doesn’t have the body, at 240+ pounds, to learn how how to block, much like Delanie Walker did when he first entered the league.
With the aforementioned Dan Arnold already on the team, you can see that Kliff Kingsbury’s offense does have a place for a move tight end. If Bryant is still on the board in Round 4, it would not be a surprise to see Arizona take him.
And, as a bonus? He’s an ex-Washington Husky – and we know Arizona likes to take those players in the draft.
The Patriots desperately need depth at the TE position, and the NFL Draft may be the answer.
The New England Patriots have yet to address their glaring need for a tight end.
Josh McDaniels’ offense was lacking an explosive tight end last season after Rob Gronkowski retired and the Patriots went another round of free agency without signing a prospect this offseason. New England currently has Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse on the roster — averaging a combined 517 yards and three touchdowns over their careers.
Jordan Reed, Delanie Walker and Charles Clay lead the group of free agent tight ends still available, but the Patriots have little cap space and haven’t jumped on any of them yet. This leaves the NFL Draft, and the Patriots have 12 picks to select a tight end or two.
Here are seven players the Patriots could choose in the draft.
Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
Cole Kmet is likely the top tight end in the NFL Draft this year and his ability to play a balanced game is the reason for it. He’s a 6-foot-6, 262 pound player who has excellent blocking skills, along with a high ceiling as a pass-catcher. He hauled in 43 catches for 515 yards and six touchdowns in his final season at Notre Dame.
Kmet will likely fall in the first round of the draft, forcing the Patriots to use the No. 23 pick if he fell down that far.
Adam Trautman, Dayton
Adam Trautman is one of the more realistic choices for the Patriots to draft. The team already met with him and he told reporters that New England is a franchise he could see himself playing for. Trautman is 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and put together an astounding 70 catches for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns in his senior season at Dayton.
Trautman will be one of the first tight ends off the board, but it’s possible he’ll fall to the third round — where the Patriots could potentially grab him with pick No. 87.
This crop of tight ends might not match the 2019 NFL Draft, but there is potential. How do Cole Kmet, Adam Trautman and the rest rank?
Last year was perhaps the “Year of the Tight End” in the NFL Draft. A year ago football fans saw sixteen tight ends drafted – the most since the 2015 draft class – and two players from the same school come off the board in the first round. Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson was drafted eighth overall by the Detroit Lions, while his teammate Noah Fant came off the board 20th to the Denver Broncos. In all, eight players were drafted on the first two days of the 2019 Draft at the tight end position.
This group, however, might not match those numbers. In fact, you might be waiting until midway through the second round to see the first tight end come off the board.
This year’s crop contains a number of players who fit perhaps one role (move tight end) or another role (blocking tight end). Finding the prototypical, “do it all” type of player might take a bit of work. There are some potential players in that mold, who will be near the top of that list as you might expect, but there are still questions about what they can do in the NFL.
So if you are a fan of a team needing help at this position, pack some patience.
Bio: Cole Kmet was a highly-regarded recruit coming out of high school, where he was a two-sport athlete for St. Viator High School in Illinois. Kmet was, according to 247Sports, the third-best tight end recruit in the nation, and out of his 16 scholarship offers he decided to select Notre Dame. In addition to his work as a tight end, Kmet was a left-handed pitcher both in high school and in college, and he pitched for the Fighting Irish as a freshman and sophomore before an arm injury ended his sophomore season. He then chose to focus on football. During his freshman year he led Notre Dame with eight saves as a relief pitcher.
On the gridiron, Kmet did not contribute on a consistent basis until this last season. As a true sophomore in 2018 he managed just 15 receptions on 17 targets, for 162 yards. Last year, however, he caught 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 12 yards per reception.
Stat to Know: Kmet did his best work in the intermediate area of the field. Notre Dame passers had a rating of 102.5 when targeting him between 10 and 19 yards downfield.
Strengths: Sometimes a game in front of a national audience can propel a prospect towards the top of draft boards, and for Kmet that game might have been a primetime outing against the University of Georgia down in Athens. After missing the first three games of the season with a broken collarbone, Kmet caught nine passes for 108 yards (both season-high numbers for him) and a touchdown. Kmet showed up on his first reception of the game, displaying some toughness after the catch as well as some incredible contact balance for a 6’6″ tight end:
In addition, if you think about where NFL offenses look to attack defenses, your eyes will be drawn to the seams. Given the prevalance of single-high coverage in the professional game, offenses need to attack the seams. Having a tight end that can do this both before and after the catch is going to help an offense:
On this seam route Kmet shows the ability to change pace as a route runner, saving an extra gear for when he needs to accelerate past the second-level defenders. He also absorbs a shot after the catch, but hangs on while the safety is slow to get up.
As a route-runner, his ability to find an extra gear as well as how he comes off the line of scrimmage give him an advantage over some of the other TEs in this class. He seems to get an extra step on most of his routes, giving him just a bit more separation than his peers. Kmet is not the most technically-sound route-runner at the position, but his combination of size, burst and straight-line speed gives him an advantage. He also has a tremendous catch radius, which will make him a quarterback’s security blanket on third down situations.
Kmet is also adept at chipping pass rushers before releasing on his route, as well as generating yardage after the catch with power. He will not accelerate away from would-be tacklers, nor is he that shifty after the catch, but he uses his size and power to make sure he gets all the meat off the bone with each reception.
As an inline blocker, Kmet handles more responsibilities in this realm than most college tight ends. Notre Dame did task him with pass protection responsibilities, and he also shows good awareness to adjust his blocking assignment post-snap if his pre-snap read of the play changes due to a defensive adjustment. Kmet is also a good blocker in space, who can get out in front of screens or work to the second-level on run designs.
Weaknesses: Kmet’s hands are not as solid as you might expect, and he relies on his body and frame in close quarters or in contested catch situations to secure the football. While his physical prowess after the catch is how he generates additional yardage, he can be re-routed or jammed off the line by linebackers. It did take a while for him to produce in Notre Dame’s offense, so that is worth mentioning, as is his injury history. Both the left elbow injury and the broken collarbone are areas for NFL teams to explore before the draft.
Conclusion: In a weak tight end class, Kmet’s ability to perhaps be an all-around tight end – something that is rare to find coming out of college – coupled with his ideal size and his solid play make him perhaps the safest option at the position. He seems ready to handle all the aspects of playing the tight end position at the next level, while many other prospects in this class might be forced to specialize in one way or another. Kmet’s ability to create enough space as a receiver is going to be a big plus for him as he makes the transition to the next level.
Comparison: Lance Zierlein from NFL.com compared him to Tyler Higbee, and that comparison makes some sense. You can also see another Notre Dame product, Tyler Eifert, in Kmet’s game.
