Devy Profile: Mark Andrews, TE Oklahoma

Anthony Santigate

Devy dynasty leagues center around the running back and wide receiver positions. They are the easiest to project, and they have the biggest payoff in fantasy football. Tight ends are generally looked at as an afterthought. This is for a few reasons. They’re hard to project, they normally take a few years to develop and they do not have a giant impact in fantasy football. But, if you did want to take a devy tight end for the upcoming year, especially in TE premium or 2TE leagues, Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews should be your guy. If in the right offense, Andrews could have an immediate impact.

Not surprisingly, Andrews was recruited as a wide receiver, not a tight end. He ended up as the #19 WR in the 2014 recruiting class out of Scottsdale, AZ. The Desert Mountain HS product amassed huge numbers in high school, including a 22 (!) touchdown season his junior year. He ultimately chose Oklahoma over offers from Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

Andrews has produced since he first got to Norman, Oklahoma. He tallied seven touchdowns on just 19 catches in his freshman year, and followed that with a huge sophomore campaign. The 6’5 TE finished the year with 31 catches, 489 yards and seven more touchdowns on his way to 2016 First Team All Big-12. Andrews flourished in 2016 as part of the prolific Sooners’ offense. The Sooners’ trio of playmakers: Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon and DeDe Westbrook all have gone on to the NFL. But now Andrews is a focal point in a high tempo offense led by Heisman candidate Baker Mayfield.

Andrews has showed out early in 2017. In week one against Texas-El Paso, he went off for seven catches, 134 yards and this touchdown. He looked like the best player on the field, routinely making the first defender miss. Head Coach Lincoln Riley boasted about Andrews in a post-game press conference after the Week 1 win. “He’s grown a lot in the last two years from being an every other down type of a guy to being a guy who can go out there and play long stretches at a time…” said Riley, the first year coach. “I was excited today to see him run through some people and use not only that speed and quickness, that he is very gifted with, but some power.

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Lining up primarily in the slot on the right side of the field, he has become Mayfield’s favorite target. Using his large frame and sure hands, Andrews makes plays even when he isn’t open. Where he’s most impressive is his agility and juke moves once the ball in his hands. A man this big should not be allowed to do this.

Oklahoma takes advantage of this. They love to get him the ball in the open field, usually in between the hash marks and let him do the rest. The Sooners will often use him to block from the slot on WR screens but here they switch the roles and let the big man go.

Like many tight ends, he can also act as a safety net if the offense needs a short pass or two to get going. Nice design here by OU to get Andrews the ball right behind that Ohio State pass rush in week two.

That TE screen reminds me a lot of Travis Kelce and the way the Kansas City Chiefs have used him in the last few years. Both players are huge but agile and have a knack for getting past a defender, or two. They also share similar production trends over their collegiate careers. For Andrews to have the same success in the NFL, he must improve and become comfortable working as an in-line TE. As mentioned earlier, almost all of his catches have come out of the slot WR position. He shows flashes of great blocking, especially in the open field, but he is not asked to block in-line now as much as he will have to in the NFL.

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As all big tight ends prospects should, Andrews knows his way around the goal line. Averaging a touchdown every four catches in his career, he is a focal point of the offense once they are inside the 20. Oklahoma could score on play designs like this at anytime they want.

Conclusion

If I am being honest, you most likely shouldn’t ever draft a devy tight end. It is just too risky and would take longer to pay off. With that being said, I love Andrews’ game and I think it can immediately translate to the NFL if he’s drafted to a team that will use his skillset for what it is. If allowed to flourish as a receiver, Andrews has the size, athleticism and skill to be a top fantasy tight end.

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