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Senior Bowl Standouts: TE Edition

The team headed down to Mobile, AL for the Reese’s Senior Bowl and now we will break down the best of the best at each position. Nino Caroselli (@NinoBrown_T2T) covered the TEs and those that stood out to him. Once the shiny toy out of Utah, Dalton Kincaid was off the Senior Bowl roster, Nino decided to dive in deeper!

Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State

Musgrave impressed me with how well he moves in and out of routes. Musgrave has the smoothest receiving game out of all the tight ends in this group. Luke’s athleticism is top notch, throw in his 36 ½ inch vertical leap and Musgrave is definitely someone NFL GMs are going to be targeting. Musgrave’s short area burst / quickness is a mismatch for linebackers & safeties. At 6’6” 255 lbs Musgrave uses his body well in contested catches and dominates at the high point. Musgrave’s route running separates him immensely from the rest of the tight ends at the Senior Bowl. For me, Musgrave is looking like the tight end #3 of the 2023 NFL Draft Class, behind only Michael Mayer & Dalton Kincaid.

Payne Durham, TE, Purdue

Not only did Payne Durham flash his great hands at the Senior Bowl, in the game as well as practices, but he put on a clinic on how to pass protect. Durham was consistently winning battles vs linebackers using his 6’5 258 lb. frame to work against those smaller than him. When it came to pass catching, Durham had two eye catching plays in practices, one of them which went for a touchdown and popped his helmet off. Durham also had a 16 yd reception on Saturday during the game that came just a yd short of a touchdown. I believe Durham’s stock definitely rose due to his time in Mobile!

Brayden Willis, TE, Oklahoma

Willis was a quiet climber in Mobile. He has found success on all fronts of the offense: tight end, in line blocker, wide receiver, flanker, halfback, fullback, and has shown he’s a true Swiss Army knife. Willis caught the eye of many NFL coaches and scouts while at the Senior Bowl, including Mike Tomlin who our very own Jarod Gray had an opportunity to discuss Willis with. Brayden’s size and versatility make him an asset to any NFL team. Willis might not look intriguing as far as fantasy football goes but he is definitely intriguing as far as the actual game of football goes. 

Josh Whyle, TE, Cincinnati

This tight end out of Cincinnati is a big ole boy! Standing at 6’6” 260 lbs I didn’t expect him to be quick or shifty. Well he isn’t quick but I’ll be damned, this young man can break it down. Whyle was consistently getting separation with his hips off the line and in the open field. Josh’s ability to get separation with his athleticism and twitchiness makes up for his lack of speed. I can see Whyle being a short / intermediate threat in the NFL. Smaller linebackers will have trouble with handling Whyle’s size/shiftiness.

Cameron Latu, TE, Alabama

I had a lot of question marks about Latu heading into the Senior Bowl. Cameron had a few big games this season, Week 6 vs Tennessee (6 rec, 90 yds, TD), Week 9 vs Mississippi (3 rec, 36 yds, TD) & Week 11 vs Kansas St. (5 rec, 54 yds, TD), but the sample size was small as he switched from defensive end to tight end. Latu is a big target at 6’5” and could be a red zone threat in the NFL. Latu definitely didn’t hurt his stock in Mobile.

Davis Allen, TE, Clemson

From day to day my thoughts & conclusions on Allen changed. Day 1 he looked slow running routes but never dropped a ball. Day 2 looked faster in drills but was getting handled in pass protection. Day 3 cleaned up the pass pro but never really separated himself from the group. Allen’s hands, size, & dependability will land him a mid round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and could be steal depending on landing spot… I know the Chargers could use a TE!

Will Mallory, TE, Miami

The 1st thing I noticed about Will Mallory is that he covers a lot of ground fast. Mallory has a long stride to go with his 6’5” 239 lb. frame and with no disrespect gallops like a horse! Mallory only had 42 catches this past season but he did average 12.9 YPC so the big play ability is there. This big play ability was on display in the game on Saturday as Mallory went for 5 rec for 46 yds and a long reception of 15 yds. Will has ‘Charmin’ hands and has the ability to be split out wide in the NFL, he is a defensive matchup nightmare. 

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