Next up on our scouting report series ahead of the 2023 NFL draft is Notre Dame tight end, Michael Mayer.
The former Fighting Irish product has been a well-known player in college football over the last couple of seasons, and for good reason.
Mayer ultimately culminated his legendary college career as the school’s all-time leader at tight end in receptions (180), receiving yards (2,099) and receiving touchdowns (18).
He also finished the 2022 campaign as the highest-graded tight end in the country (92.5), per Pro Football Focus.
As always, this article is going to provide you with an educated opinion on the pros and cons of selecting the former Notre Dame star.
But before we get started, a quick reminder that unless noted otherwise, all of the grades and individual rankings that are included are my own opinions.
Mayer is one of the more complete prospects regardless of position, so let’s not waste any more time and find out exactly what makes him such a special talent.
Measurables
- Height: 6’4 1/2’’
- Weight: 249 pounds
- Hand size: 9 1/2’’
- Arm length: 31 5/8’’
- 40-time: 4.7
- Relative Athletic Score: 7.65
College Accolades
- Consensus All-American (2022)
- Third-Team All-American (2021)
- Third-Team All-ACC (2021)
- Three-Year Starter (2020-2022)
2022 Stats
- Receptions: 67
- Yards: 809
- Touchdowns: 9
- Run-blocking snaps: 389
- Zone-blocking snaps:132
- Gap-blocking snaps: 224
- Yards per route run: 2.44
- Contested catch rate: 65.4%
- Drop Rate: 5.6 percent
Grades, Projections and Rankings
- Overall grade: 86.5 (first round)
- Ceiling projection: Mid-first round
- Floor projection: Mid-second round
- Position ranking: No. 1
- Consensus ranking: No. 1
Reasons to Buy In
- Most complete TE in the class who is capable of being a true three-down weapon for any offense.
- Has an ideal blend of size, speed, strength and physicality to contribute from a variety of different spots.
- Packs a powerful punch at the point of attack, especially when he’s allowed to build up momentum prior to making contact with the opposition.
- Offers a ton of positional versatility. He can line up in a traditional Y, as an H-back, in the slot, etc.
- Does a good job of identifying and attacking the soft spots in zone coverages.
- Surprisingly fluid at creating separation at the top of his routes, often using savvy tactics such as head nods, body bumps, etc., to get to the open grass on the field.
- Arguably the best pass-catcher in the draft when it comes to 50-50 balls.
Areas of Concern
- Not the most dynamic athlete with the ball in his hands and is more of a possession receiver instead of a true explosive playmaker.
- Slightly average athlete who isn’t going to run away from many defenders at the next level.
- Doesn’t have the most expansive route tree at his disposal.
- His overall technique in blocking for both the running and passing game could use some refinement once he gets around NFL coaching.
- Has to be quicker and more precise with his hand placements.
- Occasionally has slow-developing routes, which can become a bigger problem at the NFL level where defenders will take advantage of every mistake.
- Will likely be reliant on making tons of contested catches in the pros in scenarios where he’s unable to shake tight coverage.
- Not the most explosive out of his stance and he can be a touch late at anticipating the snap at times.
Fit with the Titans
Mayer is one of my personal favorite prospects in this entire class to watch on tape. In my opinion, the Notre Dame product enters the league about as pro-ready as you could possibly be at the tight end position.
He is hands down the most complete tight end in this class. The former All-American is a three-down impact player, both as a pass-catcher and a blocker, where he is more than equipped to hold his own in the trenches.
Mayer has a violent punch at the point of attack, especially when he’s allowed to build up momentum before making contact with a defender.
The Notre Dame product has shown that he can be a viable asset to any rushing attack regardless of the assignment.
Mayer is not only big and strong enough to displace a defender against their will, he’s also athletically fluid enough to get out in space to block agile athletes.
However, it is Meyer’s ability as a pass-catcher that makes him such an intriguing prospect.
On top of being able to line up all over the field, the All-American TE has a big catch radius and terrific ball skills that allow him to compete with anyone on 50-50 balls.
The All-American tight end also significantly improved his ability to catch routine and/or difficult passes that he would have occasionally dropped when he was younger. His hands rarely let him down when catching the ball away from his body these days.
Another thing that stands out is Mayer’s abilities after the catch. He becomes a real problem for opposing defenses to deal with once the ball is in his hands.
The former Notre Dame star runs hard and bringing him down can be a really tough task for the opposition. He is surprisingly elusive enough to go around defenders, while also being able to run through someone if they try to challenge his physicality.
Also, he may not have displayed the most refined route tree in college but he is both savvy and manipulative with his ability to create space at the top of his routes.
Mayer has a knack for being deliberate with his releases, regardless if he is in-line, in the slot, or on the boundary. He knows where the open grass is, and he works to get there.
Lastly, Mayer possesses an undeniable clutch gene that takes over when it matters most. Whenever his team needs a big play, you can count on No. 87 to be a reliable safety blanket who isn’t going to shy away from the bright lights.
As far as Mayer’s areas of improvement go, his overall athleticism isn’t going to blow anybody away by NFL standards.
He knows how to create extra separation for himself with sneaky tactics such as head nods and/or body bumps, but he simply isn’t going to outrun anybody to a spot when these things don’t work.
In the run game, he has the right effort and physicality to thrive as a blocker, but his technique is far too inconsistent at the moment. Adding some more functional strength to his repertoire will only help to improve his overall game as well.
Mayer is someone I wish the Titans were in a position to add but considering they already have Chigoziem Okonkwo on the roster, drafting him would be more of a luxury piece.
Needless to say, Tennessee isn’t exactly in a position to be adding luxury pieces to its offense right now.
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