The 2020 NFL Combine on-field workouts begin Thursday, February 27th in Indianapolis and the tight ends group will take the field on opening day. Adding a tight end won’t be a priority for the Lions this offseason — beyond possibly a third option — but it’s always good to scout the competition.
This is the latest in a series of articles leading up to this year’s NFL Combine, where the Lions Wire team has identified players they will be tracking in order to determine potential fits within the organization.
If you missed the previous articles in this series, be sure to check out our quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers previews.
Tight end traits to evaluate
Like with the wide receivers group, scouts will be focused on several traits that revolve around pass-catching and movement:
- Natural hands: Do they fight the ball or allow it to land softly in their grasp?
- Acceleration in and out of breaks: Do they throttle down, or can they maintain speed?
- Quickness versus long speed: where do they gain separation?
- Body control: Being fast is great but it means nothing unless they can maintain balance and focus.
- Ball tracking: Do they have the patience to look late and still locate? Do they maximize their speed by not reaching early?
Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
Suggested by: Max Gerber
A two-sport athlete at Notre Dame (baseball), Kmet is a balanced tight end who is likely to find more success as a pass-catcher in the NFL. He is one of the more NFL ready tight ends in this class despite still have some areas of his game that need to be improved.
Adam Trautman, Dayton
Suggested by: Bryce Rossler, Derek Okrie, and Matt Urben
Trautman may have the highest upside at the position in this class but coming from a small school there will be some learning curve involved as he transitions to the NFL. The Elk Rapids, Michigan native grew up playing quarterback but his natural athleticism made the transition to tight end a smooth one. He’s a big target in the passing game and can handle a large volume of work.
Hunter Bryant, Washington
Suggested by: Scott Bischoff
Bryant is a move tight end who will spend the majority of his time trying to create mismatches in the slot. His athleticism shines when the ball is in the air or after the reception when it’s in his hands, as he routinely generates yards after the catch. His height (est. 6-2) and lack of impactful blocking skills will limit the schemes he will be successful in, but the right fit could be magical.
Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic
Suggested by: Jeff Risdon
This past season’s Mackey Award winner (the nation’s top tight end), Bryant is an athletic pass catcher whose experience is in the slot, but he can also survive occasionally setting up inline. He has the potential to produce at all three levels but he has a few things to clean up in his route precision in order to find consistent success.
Devin Asiasi, UCLA
Suggested by: Erik Schlitt and Scott Warheit
Asiasi was heavily recruited by Michigan, but after a brief stint with the Wolverines, he transferred back home to UCLA. The moves across the country slowed his development and with him being an early entrant into the draft, he only has one-year starting experience for analysts to evaluate. He has NFL traits, and will mostly find success in the short and intermediate areas, but he will need to improve his blocking if he wants to see the field as a TE2 or TE3.
Thad Moss, LSU
Suggested by: Zack Moran and Ty Finch
The son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Randy Moss, Thad Moss only has one-year starting under his belt due to a transfer from North Carolina State, two-foot surgeries, and declaring early for the NFL Draft. In LSU’s dynamic offense, despite a loaded roster, Moss managed to secure 47 receptions for 570 yards and four touchdowns — two of which came in the National Championship game. Despite his limited starting experience, Moss’ blocking is a plus and will help him carve out an early role as reserve/role tight end.
Steven Sullivan, LSU
Suggested by: Sonja Greenfield
While Moss was the Tigers balanced tight end option, Sullivan was slated more in the pass-catching/big slot receiver role. Despite his role, he only had about 25-percent the production Moss had last season, as LSU favored wide receivers over a bigger body with limited blocking experience. This same situation is likely to follow him to the NFL and will limit his suitors. He showed well at Senior Bowl practices, illustrating his upside, and he will need to continue to showcase those traits to prove he was a hidden gem on a loaded LSU roster.