Commander Country

NFL Draft: Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer 'Poor Fit' With Commanders?

The Washington Commanders could target a tight end early in this year's draft. But Bleacher Report feels the best tight end in the draft, Notre Dame's Michael Mayer, isn't a strong fit for the Commanders.

Jeremy Brener

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The Washington Commanders have an interesting choice to make with the No. 16 pick in April's draft.

The first pick in the draft class often highlights the team's biggest need, one of which could be the tight end position.

Notre Dame's Michael Mayer is viewed as a "top-level" tight end in this year's class and could easily be the first at the position off the board.

However, Bleacher Report thinks that the Commanders' depth at tight end is enough to pass on one in the first round, declaring Mayer a poor fit for Washington.

"Even if Washington releases Logan Thomas, the offense has a strong blocker in John Bates," Bleacher Report writes. "One of Armani Rogers and Cole Turner need to emerge as competent pass-catchers, but they're young players who, in theory, would benefit from increased playing time. That's the long version of saying Michael Mayer has minimal upside for Washington. He'd be a solid complement to Bates, but the Commanders need reliable blockers more than another playmaker."

The Commanders have several offensive playmakers, including Jahan Dotson, who was drafted with the No. 16 pick in last year's draft. That could allow the Commanders to target a different player with that top pick, like Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, but an upgrade at tight end certainly wouldn't hurt.

With Eric Bieniemy coordinating the offense in Washington, adding a tight end that can play a Travis Kelce-like role would be beneficial, but the Commanders have to look at the big picture and ask themselves if the talent and need pays off.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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