Michael Mayer (TE) – Notre Dame / Junior
6’4” / 249 lbs (Unofficial)
2022 Stats: 12 games, 67 receptions, 809 receiving yards, 12.1 yards per reception, 9 receiving touchdowns
{reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/michael-mayer-1.html}
Awards: 2022 Consensus All-America {and named to watch lists for Walter Camp, Mackey, Maxwell, and Biletnikoff Awards heading into the 2022 campaign}
Measurables: (AVAILABLE POST COMBINE/PRO DAY)
Games Watched: 2022 vs. BYU, 2022 vs. USC
PRO’S
Mayer allowed ZERO sacks or pressures his first 2 years at Notre Dame, and as a fan of the Tight End position I just love that statistic. He is a physical player and runner who is not afraid of contact. He is tough to bring down & breaks tackles. He has good, strong hands, as well as good speed for a Tight End. Mayer has a reputation for being “intense” and a hard worker. He has good balance, he is quick out of his stance. He has good speed for a Tight End that allows him to get separation, and his speed is good enough to give his coaches the flexibility to split him out wide at times. His ‘21 & ‘22 stats were remarkably similar (averaged 800+ yard, 69 receptions, and 8 TDs over both years), which shows consistent, high end production.
CON’S
As complete as he is in being a Tight End (in being effective in both the receiving and blocking game), Mayer still has room for improvement. This includes improvement in run blocking and tracking the ball. He is also not a quick player (but physical is his game anyway), and while he is certainly not slow, he is not fast either (but again, physical is his game anyway and his speed is good for a Tight End). I have seen an unofficial 4.65/40-yard dash for Mayer. That is pretty good for the position, but he actually looks slower than that on tape (which could just be that my eyes are lying to me and is really just a product of his running style).
OVERALL
Mayer is what a TE should be – a complete three-down player at a position that requires so much versatility to be considered well-rounded. He offers more than just competency as both a blocker AND a receiver. While he can improve his run blocking, he is a sound and solid pass blocker. Mayer is a physical receiver who catches the ball in traffic and is hard to bring down. He is a nice security blanket for his QB. LSU is known as “DB University,” USC as a WR one, Penn St. is known for its Linebackers, and Notre Dame is a TE factory with Mayer soon to become the latest off that assembly line. Mayer and Georgia’s Brock Bowers are the best NCAA Tight Ends today.
Completed by: @JoeJ_Clark, 01/02/23
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