20/20: Mark Andrews

Ryan Finley Posted On February 15, 2018

Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we will be profiling 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2018 by giving you 20 facts you must know.

1.) Player name – Mark Andrews

2.) College – Oklahoma

3.) Height/Weight – 6’5″, 250 lbs

4.) Birth date – 9/6/1995 (22)

5.) Class – Junior

6.) College stats – 2015: 19 catches, 318 yards, and seven touchdowns. 2016: 31 catches, 489 yards, and seven touchdowns. 2017: 62 catches, 958 yards, and eight touchdowns. Andrews is Oklahoma’s all-time leader in receiving yards by a tight end with 1,765. He also finished sixth overall in career touchdowns with 22.

7.) NFL Draft round projection – He’s been mocked to go as high as 14 and as low as 53. I would peg him as having about a 60% chance to go in the first. I would be very surprised if he made it to the third.

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8.) Current NFL comparison – Don’t get too crazy here, but Oklahoma DC Mike Stoops recruited and coached a certain Rob Gronkowski and thinks Andrews has a similar ability to run routes and get open as Gronk had in his college days. Gronk is taller and thicker, but it’s still an awfully positive note from Stoops.

9.) Best possible destination – I really hate to say this, but the Green Bay Packers could be an awfully good landing spot for Andrews. Aaron Rodgers has quite a few top years left if you ask me, and they really do not have an answer at this position. Andrews has the blocking ability to stay on the field a lot, and I could see him being an amazing beneficiary of the famed Rodgers scramble drills.

10.) Worst possible destination – Anywhere Andrews doesn’t have a clear path to start would be a disappointment. But I’d really be disappointed if he ended up somewhere like Cleveland. This could inhibit the development of two young, promising tight ends with David Njoku already in the lineup. And of course Cleveland, well, hasn’t been the best landing spot for anyone for some time.

11.) Best current skill – Andrews is the tight-end type we love to see – the “match-up nightmare.” He has good size at 6’5” and couples that with unnatural athleticism for his build. He’s not quite the athletic freak we all dream of, but he has shown a great ability to get open and has been a big red zone threat with 22 TDs in three years.

12.) Skill that needs to be improved – I think you could say this for virtually every young TE, but Andrews could certainly get better as a blocker. I think he’s a decent blocker in comparison to some other young TEs, but he still has a lot to learn. He’ll likely need more strength to help in this area in the pro game as well. Andrews has also suffered from focus drops from time to time and needs to improve his overall catch rate.

13.) Past/current rookie ADP – Andrews current rookie ADP is 19.4. He’s the 18th overall rookie and the first tight end off the rookie board.

14.) Projected dynasty value – I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of the dynasty value of rookie tight ends we saw last year. This crop isn’t nearly as exciting (on face value) as last year’s trio of O.J Howard, Evan Engram, and Njoku. I don’t think we’ll see a tight end go in the first this year, so I expect Andrews value to be more in the second round range, possibly into the third depending on league setup and other factors.

15.) Mackey Award winner – Andrews received the Mackey Award as the nation’s top overall tight end this past season. Hunter Henry and Tyler Eifert are two recent recipients of this award. He’s the first Oklahoma Sooner to ever win the award.

16.) Type 1 diabetic – Mark Andrews was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic at nine years old. As a type 1, he is insulin dependent and must keep a close eye on his glucose levels. During games, Andrews has to check his levels each quarter to keep his glucose at the right level. Jay Cutler has managed a long career in the NFL with the same condition, but it does take another level of dedication to do so.

17.) Air Raid offense – One potential knock against Andrews is coming from the Oklahoma offense, which is big pass-play heavy. This type of system often produces receivers with big numbers, but those receivers don’t always pan out at the next level in more standard “pro-style” offenses. But the current passing game of the NFL is much closer to more open college offenses than it used to be.

18.) Baker Mayfield – Akin to the last point, a lot of folks really like Mayfield’s ability, and there is no guarantee Andrews will end up with quite as talented a QB at the next level.

19.) High school wide receiver – Andrews didn’t play tight end at the high school level. In fact, he held the record for more receptions in Arizona high school history, until the record was broken in 2016 by Kade Warner, the son of Kurt Warner.

20.) Started with soccer – Andrews didn’t play football at all until high school. He played forward in soccer and didn’t make the switch until a football coach saw him dunking a basketball and convinced him to give football a try.

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