NFL Draft Outlook: Notre Dame Tight End Michael Mayer Is An Elite Prospect

Former Notre Dame star tight end Michael Mayer is set to start his NFL Draft journey with some questions to answer

Michael Mayer came to Notre Dame with a lot of expectations out of Covington Catholic in Kentucky, sitting as a consensus top 100 recruit by every major recruiting service. To say he met every expectation would be a massive understatement. He leaves South Bend as arguably the greatest tight end to ever dawn the blue and gold at a school that has developed the position as well as anyone historically.

He is set for his next challenge, the NFL. This draft process will be vital for Mayer to determine where he hears his name in the 2023 NFL Draft come this April. His time is now.

CAREER OVERVIEW

From the moment Mayer stepped on campus, he quickly showed that he belonged. Playing in 12 games as a true freshman in 2020, the Kentucky native tied for first on the team with 42 receptions and finished second with 450 yards receiving. Mayer also reached the end zone twice that season. His catches and yards totals were a record for a Notre Dame freshman tight end.

That freshman success would just be foreshadowing for things to come over his final two seasons. In 24 games during that span, he led all tight ends in college football with 138 receptions for 1,649 yards and 16 scores. Mayer was named an All-American honoree during each of those seasons. His 71 catches and 840 yards in 2021 were the most ever by a Notre Dame tight end, and his nine touchdown catches in 2022 set the single season touchdown mark by an Irish tight end.

Mayer leaves Notre Dame following his junior year, and he leaves owning every major tight end receiving record for the program. He set the Notre Dame all-time receiving record for receptions (180), receiving yards (2,099) and receiving touchdowns (18) for a tight end.

A look at Mayer's stats by year:

2020 - 42 catches, 450 yards, 10.7 YPC, 2 TD
2021 - 71 catches, 840 yards, 11.8 YPC, 7 TD
2022 - 67 catches, 809 yards, 12.1 YPC, 9 TD

EYE IN THE SKY

Since Mayer was a freshman, he's had the body of a seven year NFL veteran. Physically he is extremely well put together and proportioned throughout his frame. Mayer exhibits premier upper and lower body strength, able to absorb contact extremely well.

As a pass receiver, he displays soft hands and clear understanding for how to use his size in the passing game. Mayer plays like a power forward, boxing out and making plays at the highest point. He's made a number of contested highlight reel catches during his career at Notre Dame.

For a player with a dense frame, Mayer is also surprisingly loose as a route runner. He is able to get in and out of breaks to create some easy separation. After the catch, Mayer works with extreme physicality. He plays with reckless abandon and can be a task to take down in the open field.

In the run game, there have been some inconsistencies for Mayer over the last couple of years. Down the stretch of his junior year, he took a nice step forward. He must be more consistent in that area and has all the tools to excel.

CURRENT PROJECTION

As it currently stands, Mayer feels like a first round lock for the 2023 NFL Draft. There are some that question just what the upside may be but regardless this is a darn good football player. There is a reality where he locks in a spot inside the top 20, but it would be extremely surprising if he was not selected with one of the first 31 selections. Mayer is the clear cut top tight end in the class.

WHAT TO PROVE

The biggest question marks surrounding Mayer have been just how well he will test whether it is at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine or the Notre Dame pro day, specifically in terms of straight line speed. There is this assumption swirling that he isn’t a very good athlete and that testing could go a long way to disproving that narrative.

Nobody questions what they see on film, the size, the hands, the physicality, the upside as a blocker - it’s all there. Athletic testing can be used to determine upside for a player.

It’s an imperfect science but many will want to see that box checked for a player who projects as a potential top 20 overall selection. 

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