Rookie Profile: Jake Butt, TE Michigan

Mike Valverde

To begin his football career, Jake Butt attended Pickerington High School North. In his senior season, he finished with 12 touchdowns and 907 yards. Rivals and ESPN identified him as a four-star athlete, and he was heavily recruited.

As a Michigan University freshman, Butt started in eight games, played in 13 and was named in ESPN’s All-Big Ten Conference freshmen team. In 2014, as a sophomore, he missed the first two games while recuperating from a torn ACL. He appeared in ten games, five as a starter, and finished with two touchdowns. In his junior season, he started to kick it up a notch in performance. Butt finished with more catches (51) and yards (654) than he did his previous two seasons combined (41-446). Coaches and the media named him a first-team All-American and All-Big Ten offensive first team.

In his senior season, Butt was named a team captain and was the team’s second-leading receiver with 43 receptions for 518 yards and four touchdowns. By the end of the season, he became Michigan’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end (135) and yards (1,618). Butt was awarded John Mackey Award for the best tight end in the country. However, he tore his ACL in the Orange Bowl game.

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Statistics from sports-reference.com.

Butt does not have a problem going over the middle of the field. He knows how to keep himself and the ball protected while absorbing contact. He does have a hard time getting off the line of scrimmage and does not have extra gears. He struggles to get into his routes and is not a threat down the field. When breaking out of his cuts, his acceleration is negligible. He does have good speed, but it is not elite when compared to other tight ends. Even though he has the quickness to get by the linebackers in college, on the NFL stage, it will not be as easy.

Butt can high-point the ball and will be used in the red zone as he can be a mismatch nightmare for the defenses. He has three-down potential and high upside once he clears medical and can return to the game. According to PFF, he:

“maintains speed through 45-degree angle breaks, extremely effective post and corner route-runner.

2015-2016 on the post and corner routes: 24 targets, 17 catches, 394 yards, four touchdowns and one interception; Michigan QBs had a 135.4 QB Rating when targeting Butt for those two routes.”

Since Jake Butt did not participate in the NFL combine, his Player Profiler page and measurables for Mock Draftable are slim to none. However looking at his college dominator, he has a nice mix of yards and touchdowns for the Michigan Wolverines. With a score of 22.1%, he finished in the 68th percentile.

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His highest grade is for Breakout Age. At 19.2, he places in the 93rd percentile. The Breakout Age defines how young an athlete becomes a leader in their position. The younger the person is, the more phenomenal they become. This has been examined by both Frank DuPont and Shawn Siegele at Rotoviz.

Reviewing Jake Butt’s spider graph, we can view that some of his body dimensions are just above average. His hand size (53) and height (66) are in the higher realm of average, while his weight (18) and arm length (11) fall well below the mark.

His body structure will allow him to play in a variety of sets (tight, wing, slot, split) and he has a good release from the line of scrimmage. When running routes, Butt has quickness and runs solid patterns, getting separation at the top of the route with sneaky push-offs. Butt has shown the ability to read the defense and readjust his routes accordingly.

Even though he doesn’t have the longest arms, he has good catching radius. His hands are strong and he will make the catch away from his body. His body is fluid which allows him to contort himself to make the difficult catch. He’s difficult to tackle, and Butt’s competitive spirit comes out when the ball is in his mitts. Butt will get the extra yardage just through his determination.

He is a tough, competitive, and willing blocker in both the run and pass game. However, he seems to struggle when it comes to blocking on the second level, as he takes weird angles. He will have a difficult time against the stronger linebackers at the point of attack and needs time learning how to be a better run blocker. A factor that could be a concern is Butt’s 32″ arm length. They are not a length built for in-line blocking.

Butt will need to bulk up to play the Y-position, and his arm length may be prohibitive as well. At this time, he is more of a Zach Miller type tight end but needs to get bigger.

I like Jake Butt a lot, and he would be valued much higher without those two ACL tears. He can do bit of everything, and will be a key asset to the team who drafts him. The offense will use him mostly at receiver until he can develop better blocking skills. He is a great flier pick at the end of most dynasty drafts and should be a solid backup in start up leagues.

Butt is a worthwhile target in both PPR and standard. Currently, he is the fifth tight end and the 35th overall selection in rookie drafts, mostly due to the injury. In dynasty ADP he is being selected at the 211 spot and 215.33 with an overall average. At this point, we don’t know how this ACL injury will affect his draft position, and his landing spot is critical.

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mike valverde
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