2020-21 Football Roster Breakdown: The State of Virginia Tech's Tight Ends
Fan favorite Dalton Keene has moved on to the NFL – as Mike McDaniel has written about on a few occasions. That leaves the cupboard a bit more bare for the Hokies at the tight end position, but it still shouldn’t be classified as a weakness. Even with Keene gone, Virginia Tech has reasons to be confident in the next men up.
Starter: James Mitchell
Mitchell was already a pseudo-starter for the Hokies as a sophomore in 2019. In fact, he was actually more productive – in terms of yards from scrimmage and touchdowns – than Keene was last season. Without a doubt, his statistics and overall usage rate should continue to increase in 2020. At 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, Mitchell has the ability to be a match-up nightmare for defenses across the ACC. He appears to be quicker than Keene, who ran the fifth-fastest 40-yard dash of all tight ends at this year’s NFL Combine, and he’s a more natural playmaker.
It’s precisely that playmaking ability that could make Mitchell an intriguing chess piece this year. He’s not a stranger to lining up as a slot receiver, and with the wide receiver position somewhat in flux, he will likely be asked to do it again at times this season. He doesn’t have to be Bucky Hodges, but if he’s on the field regularly, 500 receiving yards seems like an attainable next step in his progression, especially given Hendon Hooker’s success when throwing to tight ends.
What’s more, Mitchell had four rushing touchdowns last season, so don’t be shocked if the Hokies use him as an H-back occasionally – much like they did with Keene.
Next in Line: Nick Gallo
As intriguing as Mitchell is, he’s not as polished as a blocking tight end as Keene was, and that’s a hole Virginia Tech needs to somehow fill. Leading into the offseason program, Gallo appears to be ahead of the rest of the pack for that job. He’s 6-foot-4 and 242 pounds, which is slightly lighter than Keene was, but the same height with a comparable overall frame to grow into. Of course, he also has blocking pedigree through his brother – Eric, a former starting lineman for the Hokies.
Gallo will still have to prove his worth, but he at least looks like an in-line tight end, which is something the rest of the group might not be able to claim. He likely won’t get the same number of reps as TE2 last year, but someone has to complement Mitchell at times.
Challengers: Drake Deiuliis and Cole Blaker
Back when he first entered the program, Drake Deiuliis seemed to have a chance to carve out a nice role for himself. He showed up in 2017 – the first year post-Bucky Hodges, when Chris Cunningham was the starter and before Keene had emerged – and simply looked different. In fact, given his size – now 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds – it was easy to look at him and almost imagine the next Bucky. He got hurt that year, fell clearly behind Keene and Cunningham in 2018, and Mitchell overtook him last season. For the first time in a long time, he at least has a path toward playing time.
Fellow redshirt junior Cole Blaker can also be thrown into the mix. He doesn’t seem to offer the same level of intrigue as Gallo or Deiuliis, but he at least has the body of a tight end (6-foot-3 and 250 pounds). In fact, his physique might be the closest to a fullback of anyone in this group – or any position group, because none of the running backs seem to fit the mold. If Justin Fuente and Brad Cornelsen decide to look for the next Dalton Keene – from a potential H-back perspective, not pure talent-based upside – Blaker might be the guy. It’s a longshot, but it’s also “a shot”.
Reserves: Ty Eller and Sam Brooks
If Ty Eller could add about 20 pounds – he’s at 223 right now – he might have a better case. He’s a redshirt junior, so experience is on his side; it just doesn’t seem like anything else is. Sam Brooks (210 pounds) won’t be in the mix in 2020.
Division of Reps
Assuming the top three remain the same and Blaker doesn’t sneak into it, that trio seems to consist of three guys who should be playing on the line of scrimmage – not as part-time fullbacks. Mitchell should remain a bit of a hybrid tight end/wide receiver, Gallo looks like a more traditional tight end (although he can still be a receiving threat), and Deiuliis seems to be somewhere in between.
That’s probably a good thing, because it means Mitchell and Gallo can be on the field together at times, and it also gives the Hokies the option of subbing in Deiuliis for one of them in two-tight end sets without fielding two identical players.
The split likely won’t be as even as it was between Keene and Mitchell last season, but Gallo and/or Deiuliis should definitely see the field quite a bit. By the end of this season, Dalton Keene might not be missed as much as people think – especially if Mitchell can take the next step towards becoming a feature player.
