The 2018 NFL Draft has a small, yet talented pool of tight ends coming out of college. Can the Mackey Award winner from Oklahoma make a smooth transition?
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Mark Andrews was a favorite target for Heisman Trophy quarterback Baker Mayfield throughout Oklahoma’s 2017 season. The 6-foot-5 tight end from Scottsdale, Arizona hauled in 62 catches for 958 yards and eight touchdowns on his way to receiving the John Mackey Award, given to the best tight end in the nation.
Perhaps his big moment came against border-rival Texas, where his 59-yard touchdown catch turned out to be the winning score.
Strengths
His biggest strength without a doubt is in the receiving game as shown by his senior year statistics. The high school slot receiver averaged 15.5 yards per catch in 2017 and was always there to make the big play and the biggest times. He also has very good speed for a tight end, showcased in that touchdown against Texas, outrunning Longhorn defensive backs on his way to the endzone.
He also has great potential into a very solid red zone receiver in the NFL. His size and speed could make him a matchup nightmare in the red zone and could become the next dominant red zone threat like Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates.
Weakness
The biggest weakness in Andrews game is definitely his blocking, especially since he wasn’t asked to do it that much at Oklahoma. As previously mentioned, Andrews is a high school wide receiver and blocking isn’t necessarily his top priority. An NFL scout was quoted as saying, “He’s a great big slot receiver. That’s it. He won’t block at all so what do you have other than a big slot who is an average athlete?”
The possibility of Andrews moving to a slot receiver is their, however he would have to lose quite a bit of weight to make it happen and would be much slower than your normal slot receiver. That still does not rule him out as a potential redzone threat for offenses to turn to.
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Draft Expectations
It is between Andrews and Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki on who is the best tight end in this year’s draft class. Gesicki is slightly bigger and more of your traditional tight end, while Andrews is more molded towards the NFL’s more high-flying offense of this era in the league. He will be a nice addition for whoever picks him up.
Projection
Second to Third-round selection