| HEIGHT | 6' 6" | CONE | 7.03 |
| WEIGHT | 251 lbs | BROAD | 117" |
| 40 TIME | -- | VERTICAL | 33 1/2" |
The main question with Allen as you project and transition him to the NFL is what he can become as a receiver, since his 2021 tape tells you that he is highly competitive as a run blocker with a "dog" mentality, Allen has a long, athletic frame with strider ability and excellent hands, with a wide catching radius and the ability to make tough contested catches. But he was the #2 receiving TE behind Charlie Kolar at Iowa State, and the tape did not show him as a predominant receiver in the offense. Allen has the size and hands to be an effective receiver, and his stride length may give him a chance to develop into a TE who can run crossers and seams as he learns at the NFL level. His role early in his career will likely be as a #2 or #3 TE with development traits that could well make him a quality #2 TE with coaching and experience. There is something there with Allen given his amalgam of traits, but there are many variables and he is by no means a sure thing.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4 7/8" | CONE | 7.05 |
| WEIGHT | 253 lbs | BROAD | 125" |
| 40 TIME | 4.63 | VERTICAL | 34 1/2" |
Bellinger was deployed at San Diego State almost exclusively as a blocking TE and short-to-intermediate receiver who ran few routes and was not consistently asked to be a meaningful part of the passing game. Bellinger is a measured, methodical, smooth athlete with no explosiveness or suddenness to his movement as a route runner, but he does have natural body control and good hands to catch the ball. Bellinger fits the profile of a #2 TE with his commitment and efficiency as a run blocker and his limited receiving traits, and my sense is that is what he will be throughout his NFL career. Bellinger lacks the overall athleticism to be a multi-dimensional receiving TE and that will limit his value in the passing game.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 7/8" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 241 lbs | BROAD | -- |
| 40 TIME | 4.62 | VERTICAL | -- |
Calcaterra is an interesting projection given his background at Oklahoma where he looked like a big-time prospect after his 2019 sophomore season but then concussion concerns led to his giving up football in 2020. He came back to play at SMU in 2021, and many of the same receiving traits he showed at Oklahoma as a high 4-star recruit were still evident in his SMU tape. Calcaterra is a receiving TE who lined up predominantly in the slot, with significant snaps split at boundary X, and he was at his best running straight line movement routes like vertical seams, crossers, and corner routes where he could build up his excellent play speed. Calcaterra gives an offense a three-level dimension with his vertical play speed, and that is always in demand in the NFL at the TE position and it will make him a viable weapon in the passing game situationally, given that he will not give you much as an attached blocker in the run game at this point in his career and development (and he may never be that kind of TE). Calcaterra best transitions to the NFL as a #2 TE to be deployed situationally as a receiver who can be detached from the formation and create opportunities and matchups in the passing game. He could work effectively in 12 personnel groupings versus base personnel defenses because of his ability to line up in multiple locations within the formation and be a factor in the passing game.
| HEIGHT | 6' 4" | CONE | 7.05 |
| WEIGHT | 243 lbs | BROAD | 122" |
| 40 TIME | 4.7 | VERTICAL | 34" |
Dulcich fits the profile of what teams are looking for in a receiving TE in today's NFL, with his build-up speed and stride length to run vertical seams and the intermediate and deeper crossers. Dulcich can line up in multiple locations in the formation and stretch the field, and that trait is always in demand and more so than ever now in this era of explosive-play offense (that is all I heard at the Combine when it came to the number one priority of offense in the NFL). Dulcich had some snaps at UCLA in which he lined up at boundary X on the back side of trips, and I believe he can do that at the next level given his stride length and build-up speed to be a vertical dimension, with which he can challenge LBs, safeties, and even some corners. There is no doubt Dulcich will play in the NFL, and his snap count and target volume will be a function of team and scheme, but his athletic and receiving traits with his ability to be a factor at all three levels of the defense and especially his location versatility and vertical ability will make him a valuable asset in a league defined by the passing game.
| HEIGHT | 6' 7 3/4" | CONE | 7.14 |
| WEIGHT | 257 lbs | BROAD | 117" |
| 40 TIME | 4.85 | VERTICAL | 34 1/2" |
Hodges is a long lanky former WR who made the transition to TE at Arizona State and did not have much receiving production until 2021, which was his fifth year. Hodges was used both attached and detached in the ASU offense ,and despite his slender frame was significantly deployed as an in-line blocker in the run game, where he showed both competitiveness and a willingness to play with some physicality. Where Hodges could grow and develop over time with his length and movement traits is as a receiver who can line up in multiple locations and be a factor at the intermediate and vertical levels. Hodges certainly has the size and receiving traits to line up at boundary X in the NFL, and that ability is increasingly important for TEs in today's NFL. Hodges at this point is a developmental player with a defined skill set that has definite value in the NFL and could well be team and scheme specific, but he likely will need time to mature and get stronger before he can be used in any meaningful role on a weekly basis. In some ways he is a fascinating prospect given what he can give you in the passing game with his length/athleticism/hands profile. Is there a Donald Parham comparison to be made given Hodges' size and length?
| HEIGHT | 6' 6 1/2" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 252 lbs | BROAD | -- |
| 40 TIME | -- | VERTICAL | -- |
I watched Kolar's tape from 2019, 2020, and 2021 and it showed an intriguing TE prospect who doesn't necessarily possess the kind of movement and overall athleticism you would like to see, but his size and length (he looks and plays bigger than his measurables) and outstanding hands with a wide catching radius are all high-level traits and that will allow him to transition to the NFL effectively. What consistently stood out was Kolar made tough contested catches at all areas of the field with his ability to catch the ball away from his frame. Kolar is an excellent receiver with outstanding hands and an intuitive feel for creating needed space to catch the ball. He is not necessarily explosive or sudden in his movement, but he was deceptively athletic with an instinctive understanding for the pace and tempo of specific routes. Kolar was not a clean separator versus man coverage, but he used his body and physicality and hands to create just enough room to make tough contested catches. My sense is Kolar will begin his career as a TE2 but depending on team and scheme, he could easily evolve into a TE1. I don't believe the comparison to Zach Ertz is a bad one, and it would not surprise me at all if Kolar developed into a volume receiver. Kolar was one of those players the more I watched his tape the more I liked him. He is just a good football player.
| HEIGHT | 6'4 1/2" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 245 lbs | BROAD | -- |
| 40 TIME | -- | VERTICAL | 36" |
Likely is a strong TE prospect as you project and transition him to the NFL. At Coastal Carolina, he lined up in multiple locations within the formation, including significant snaps as the motion TE, so he brings position versatility to the next level and that trait is in more demand than ever before. Despite his 6'4 height, Likely has a compact, low-cut build that allows him to make quick decisive, cuts as a route runner, with no wasted motion and excellent balance and body control. What consistently stood out watching Likely's tape was his strong hands, resulting in both a wide catching radius and the ability to make tough contested catches when demanded. There were significant snaps in which he lined up at boundary X and ran both vertical and in-breakers, and my sense is he will be able to do that at the next level, which will enhance his value to NFL teams. Likely will profile best as a receiving TE at the next level, with the traits to line up all over the formation and effectively work all three levels of the defense. His experience and ability to line up at boundary X on the back side of trips makes him a valuable asset in today's NFL, and it would not surprise me to see Likely one of the first TEs off the board in the 2022 Draft.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 5/8" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 246 lbs | BROAD | 117" |
| 40 TIME | -- | VERTICAL | 33" |
McBride fits the profile of today's NFL TEs with his ability to line up in multiple locations within the offensive formation, including deployment as a motion receiver: both return motion and across the formation. Two things really stood out watching McBride's 2021 tape: 1) the number of times he lined up as the attached TE and ran routes from that alignment and 2) his snaps at boundary X on the back side of trips, running slants and skinny posts and vertical routes. McBride is a plus athlete for the TE position with smooth route-running traits and outstanding hands, with the play speed to be a three-level weapon in an NFL offense. His tape as the boundary X was impressive, and that ability in 1x3 sets out of 11 personnel has become increasingly important in the NFL. McBride is the most complete TE prospect in the 2022 Draft with his competitiveness and his ability as an attached blocker in the run game as a defining trait of his play. While he is not a purely explosive weapon in the pass game (not in the Travis Kelce discussion) he is more than capable of working all three levels of the defense and lining up at boundary X. I believe McBride has the needed traits to be a TE1 in the NFL, but it is more than likely he will begin his career as a strong TE2. If he is drafted by a team that features 12 personnel, he could well get meaningful snaps as a rookie.
| HEIGHT | 6' 2 1/2" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 238 lbs | BROAD | -- |
| 40 TIME | 4.52 | VERTICAL | 35 1/2" |
My sense watching Okonkwo's 2021 tape was that there is much to unlock and unleash as you think about his projection and transition to the next level. He is a smooth, fluid athlete with the movement traits to work all three levels of the defense (which he was rarely asked to do at Maryland). There is no question he possesses the route and play speed to be a vertical seam stretcher and to also run other intermediate and vertical routes, like corners and sails and wheels, depending on location within the formation. There is so much more to get out of him as a fully dimensional receiver than we saw at Maryland and my guess is we will see that once he gets to the NFL and gains reps and experience. The other part of Okonkwo's game that will transition well to the next level is his commitment to run blocking, where despite his size he was fundamentally sound with explosiveness and leverage off the ball as an attached TE and excellent balance and body control working to the second level when he was in wing alignment. Okonkwo is not close to a finished product but there is clearly much to work with, especially as a receiver where he can line up in multiple locations and present a vertical dimension.
| HEIGHT | 6' 5" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 247 lbs | BROAD | -- |
| 40 TIME | -- | VERTICAL | -- |
Otton is a strong TE prospect as you project and transition him to the next level despite not putting up big numbers as a receiver in his four years at Washington. After evaluating Otton's tape the last three years, I believe there is much to unlock as a higher-level receiving TE once he gets to the NFL given his overall athleticism, route running, hands, and the detail with which he understands how to attack both zone and man coverage. Otton is not an elite TE athlete, but he is a notch below and there is no question he can be a three-level dimension in the passing game, running vertical seams and wheel routes and intermediate crossers. It would not surprise me if Otton over time, with coaching and experience, develops into one of the better receiving-blocking combination TEs in the NFL given both his receiving traits and his blocking ability. It was very evident watching tape that run blocking meant something to him and he took that responsibility seriously, executing multiple concepts with competitiveness and a finishing mentality. The more I watched Otton the more I liked his transition to the NFL, where he will likely begin his career as a #2 TE, but I believe he has the overall traits to be a #1 TE and a good one at that.
| HEIGHT | 6' 5 1/2" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 252 lbs | BROAD | -- |
| 40 TIME | -- | VERTICAL | -- |
Ruckert is an interesting evaluation as you project and transition him to the next level, because he was not featured at all in the Ohio State passing game at any time in his four years in the program, yet he possesses the athletic and receiving traits for the TE position that could well make him a more productive NFL receiver than he was in college. Ruckert is not the level of athlete and mover as a Travis Kelce or a Darren Waller, but he is an efficient route runner with plus route quickness and a refined understanding of how to use his vertical stem and subtle movements to create separation at the top of his route stem. I also believe that Ruckert has enough play speed to run the vertical seam and be a factor at all three levels of the defense, depending on his deployment within a specific pass game scheme. Ruckert's college tape did not show him to be a good enough run blocker to be featured as an attached TE as a play side blocker, so he will have to become a higher quality receiver to get volume snaps at the next level, or else he will be a TE2 much in the same way that Foster Moreau is with the Raiders (Moreau was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft). Ruckert's role in the NFL will be a function of team and scheme and other offensive personnel. much the way Dalton Schultz is a viable receiving threat for the Cowboys both in terms of targets and receptions (Schultz was also a fourth round pick). Ruckert has the receiving traits to become a TE1, but that will likely be a work in progress and take some time, depending on what team drafts him.
| HEIGHT | 6' 6 1/2" | CONE | 7.06 |
| WEIGHT | 249 lbs | BROAD | 120" |
| 40 TIME | 4.76 | VERTICAL | 27" |
Turner was a tough evaluation as I broke down his 2021 tape and tried to get a firm handle on his athletic and receiving traits and his projection and transition to the NFL. There were times I saw him as a strong flexed TE prospect with excellent size and plus athleticism who could work effectively in the middle of the field with his wide catching radius, and other times I felt as if he lacked the needed movement traits (change of direction often looked segmented and choppy) and play speed to be a factor at the next level. There is no question Turner has outstanding length for the position, and his body control and hands at the catch point consistently stood out on film, but he has much to do when it comes to the details and nuances of route running, which are lower-level as he enters the NFL. There was very little sense of Turner working against man coverage on the tape, and he will have to separate and win versus man at the next level to be a quality receiving TE. Overall, my sense is Turner's projection will be in the eye of the beholder (evaluators, coaching staff) and his transition will largely be a function of coaching and development at the NFL level. There is something work with given his size/length/body control/hands profile, but there are issues that need to be worked through for Turner to become a TE2.
| HEIGHT | 6' 7 1/8" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 253 lbs | BROAD | -- |
| 40 TIME | 4.61 | VERTICAL | -- |
Woods is just scratching the surface of what he can become as a receiving TE at the next level, with his rare size/movement/hands/body control/run-after-catch/competitiveness profile. Woods does not have a lot of experience as a receiver, and he is still learning the TE position as he is playing, it but it is evident from the tape that there is much to like and develop. Woods is a plus athlete with outstanding size and stride length and the build-up speed to be a factor on vertical routes and crossing routes, in addition to the ability to post up defenders and go above the rim to make both tough contested catches and snatch the ball out of the air with his wide catching radius. Very few TEs are purely explosive, and Woods falls into that category, but his appealing combination of stride length, build-up speed, and wide catch radius make him a vertical seam dimension in an NFL passing game in addition to being a red-zone weapon with his body control and ability to go up and get the ball. Woods is one of the more intriguing overall prospects in this draft class and the more tape I watched the more I liked his projection and transition to the next level.
| HEIGHT | 6' 3 7/8" | CONE | -- |
| WEIGHT | 255 lbs | BROAD | -- |
| 40 TIME | -- | VERTICAL | -- |
This was my evaluation after watching Wydermyer's 2020 tape: "Wydermyer's 2020 tape showed a strong TE prospect with outstanding size and fluid athletic movement as a receiver. who was also a committed and effective blocker in the run game. My sense watching Wydermyer is there is much to be cultivated as a receiver with his size/movement profile and his deceptive fluidity to effectively work all three levels of the defense. His size is an attribute, and that allows him to use his body effectively both in the middle of the field and in the red zone, with the question being whether he can develop into a boundary X TE at the NFL level with a size and frame very similar to Darren Waller." However, Wydermyer's 2021 tape was not as strong in almost every area, and that really showed up in his run blocking, where his high pad level and lack of competitive power was a consistent issue throughout the season/ He did not look as fluid and comfortable in his route stem, with tight hips and a straight-line linear feel to his movement. My sense was Wydermyer had the look of a #2 TE, not a feature TE in today's NFL passing games. Overall Wydermyer is a challenging evaluation given that his 2020 tape and 2021 tape were so markedly different, especially when it came to his movement traits, but there were just enough flashes in 2021 to make you think there is something there to work with (25-yard TD versus South Carolina, 25 yards versus Auburn good examples).
