2020 NFL Scouting Combine Winners and Losers: Tight Ends

Ryan Parish

As the NFL Combine rolls along, we get all the data and measurables about a player who we as dynasty owners so desperately crave. If you’re into analytics, these results often are the last set of data for you to analyze until draft capital comes into play. If you’re a film grinder, you’ll be diving back into the games of players whose athletic scores don’t match up with your first impressions of them, whether that’s in a good or bad way. With this in mind, let’s take a look at who helped or hurt themselves the most in Indianapolis.

Oh, and quick note before anyone mentions it, Chase Claypool ran with the wide receivers, and while he might still transition to tight end as a pro, our own Ray Garvin did a wonderful write up of him in his 2020 NFL Scouting Combine Winners and Losers: Wide Receivers.

Winners

Cole Kmet, Notre Dame

Picking winners and losers of this class might really depend on who you talk to. Each prospect seemed to shine in some areas, but disappoint in others. Kmet is a good example of this. If you value the three-cone drill, Kmet and his 7.44 time likely isn’t your guy. But if you like players who are tall, can jump out the gym, and run relatively fast for their body size, Kmet likely grabbed your attention. Measuring in at 6-foot-6 and weighing 262 pounds, he paced all tight ends with a 37-inch vertical. When you factor in his size, his 4.70-second 40-yard dash time isn’t too shabby either.

Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri

I’m not sold on Okwuegbunam just yet, but it’s hard not to call him a Combine winner. He had garnered little praise prior to Thursday night, but after he blew away the competition with a 4.49 time in the 40, he was suddenly the belle of the ball. At 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, that’s elite straight-line speed. Historically, some tight ends that have run in the 4.49-52 range include OJ Howard, Greg Olsen, Jared Cook, and George Kittle.

While Okwuegbunam crushed that drill, he didn’t participate in any of the other measurable drills. A cynic might say there’s a good reason for that, as many early scouting reports seemed to knock him for his overall athleticism. For now though, dynasty owners certainly have his name on their radar. Armed with this revelatory time, dynasty owners will now be digging into his college career to see if he offers more than we thought as a prospect, or if he’s an athlete whose time does not match his play.

Adam Trautman, Dayton

What to make of the small-school prospect Trautman? Another polarizing prospect, you could just as easily put him in the loser’s category for running a 4.78 in the 40. At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, that certainly isn’t the worst he could do, but it didn’t send him climbing up draft boards either. He did adequately in most drills, but where he really popped was in the agility drills. In the three-cone, his 6.78 time was better than Dallas Goedert and OJ Howard and puts him right in the mix with Mike Gesicki.

Others worth mentioning…

Brycen Hopkins didn’t score well in the three-cone, but the Purdue man had solid scores in every other drill. Stephen Sullivan didn’t produce much in college and may continue to be more of a blocking tight end at the pro level, but outside of his agility score, he finished near the top of the class in most categories.

Losers

Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt

Pinkney only participated in two drills, and while his 23 bench reps were impressive, his 40-time was disastrous. After running a 4.96, Pinkney is firmly off my board and should be off yours too.

Hunter Bryant, Washington

The former Husky came into Indianapolis as many people’s favorite TE prospect. Unfortunately, outside of his 23 bench reps, Bryant did little to stake his claim to be best in class. While none of his tests ended in catastrophe, they did little to say he possesses superior athleticism to his peers. Measuring in on the shorter end for tight ends at 6-foot-2 and weighing under 250 pounds, I would have like to have seen faster than the 4.74 40-time and the 32.5-inch vertical. Of course, none of this means he is a bad player, it just means he leaves us a little disappointed in comparison to the expectations.

Mitchell Wilcox, South Florida

Wilcox did not have a good day. When you’re 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, people are less forgiving the slower you run. Wilcox had the third-worst 40-time for the position with a 4.88. He didn’t jump well either, with his 31-inch vertical and 112-inch broad jump placing him firmly in the lower third percentile all-time for his position. Finally, while it may not be fair, I’m going to have a hard time getting this image of a ball drilling him in the face out of my mind. Woof. Not the stuff that inspires confidence.

Thaddeus Moss, LSU

I’ll keep it short with Moss since he didn’t participate. Part of me gets the logic of not being ready for the Combine after a season that extended deep into the College Football Playoffs, ending with a championship for Moss’ LSU Tigers. But with that momentum and the name appeal his last name brings, Moss’s absence feels like a loss. There were already questions about his speed and separation ability due to his thick and stocky 6-foot-2 and 250-pound frame. Now those questions will linger further into the draft process.