2018 NFL Draft; Jaylen Samuels is part of a new-age at tight end

His position at the next level is still a bit of a mystery, but former NC State athlete Jaylen Samuels should still be a relatively high pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

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Call him whatever you want in terms of a position, but North Carolina State’s Jaylen Samuels is definitely one thing: an athletic player. Samuels will enter the NFL Draft sort of on an island when labeled as either a running back, tight end, H-back or even fullback because he fits all of those roles.

Samuels is slightly undersized, but his pure athleticism makes up for it. A four-year player for the Wolfpack, Samuels finished his career with a bang, recording exactly 1,000 yards from scrimmage.

He had 593 yards receiving on 75 passes this past year, scoring four touchdowns. Samuels added another 407 yards and 12 scores on the ground, as he finished his career with 2,958 total yards and 47 touchdowns. Not bad for a “tight end” in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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Samuels also added some stats as a return man this past year, averaging almost 24 yards on nine kickoff returns. That should only help his cause come draft day later this month.

Strengths

Talk about a kid that can do a little bit of everything for an offense. Samuels has played running back, tight end and H-back already, showcasing his various skills in a number of different ways. That should make an NFL coach happy when they select him.

There is just something to be said for a kid willing to put the greater good of his team ahead of his own. Samuels could have complained when the NC State offense moved him all over the place, but he didn’t. Instead, he produced and likely will find himself competing for playing time his rookie season in the NFL because of it.

Weakness

For someone who is sort of between positions, the only true weakness in the same of the former NC State Wolfpack is that of being a blocker. He is just 5-foot-11 and 223 pounds, making the task of taking on NFL defensive ends and linebackers rather difficult. If he can learn a sound technique to help out in that area, Samuels could become an all-pro rather quickly in the right system.

Next: Latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft through Pro Days

Draft expectations

Sadly, the case for Samuels could be a tough one in the draft rooms this month. He isn’t overly quick, doesn’t look the part of a future NFL superstar and lacks the stats to impress. However, if you put him in the correct system to get the most out of his God-given abilities, he could be the ultimate steal of the draft.

Projection: Round 4

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2018 NFL Draft: Jaylen Samuels is part of new-age at tight end

By Dana Becker | Apr 6, 2018