Second-Round Tight End for Packers? Scout Provides Outlook

Which tight end has only a “30 percent chance” of being available at No. 42? Which one is overrated? A scout gives a Day 2 preview of the NFL Draft tight ends.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – If Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst wants to get one of the top tight ends in the 2023 NFL Draft, he can probably stand pat and let the board come to him during Friday’s second round.

If he’s got his sights set on Georgia’s Darnell Washington, he’s going to have to get aggressive.

That’s what one team’s top scout said during a relaxing Friday morning before the start of the second and third rounds.

With only Utah’s Dalton Kincaid going in the first round to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, the scout’s personal pecking order was Washington, South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft, Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, Iowa’s Sam LaPorta and Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave. Any or all of those five tight ends could be drafted in the second round.

The Packers own No. 42 and No. 45 overall of the round. That 42nd pick is the 10th pick of the night.

The math should work in Green Bay’s favor. He listed Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, North Carolina receiver Josh Downs, defensive backs Joey Porter of Penn State, Brian Branch of Alabama and D.J. Turner of Michigan, Wisconsin defensive lineman Keeanu Benton, linebackers Drew Sanders of Arkansas and Trenton Simpson of Clemson as players who could go quickly in the top of the second.

That’s eight players. Interior offensive linemen O’Cyrus Torrence of Florida and John Michael Schmitz of Minnesota, Northwestern defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker and Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt could have short waits, too.

“There’s probably enough picks there that they can probably sit and wait,” the scout said.

With so many quality players available, a sustained run of tight ends – like the sustained run of receivers during the first round on Thursday – probably won’t happen before Green Bay’s on the clock.

“If they like those guys, there’s a pretty good chance one of those guys are going to be there,” he said.

Perhaps not Washington, though, with the scout putting the chances at about 30 percent. At 6-foot-7 and about 270 pounds, he’s a massive individual. With size, arm length (34 3/8 inches) and enormous hands (11 inches), he’s got the size to manhandle opponents at the point of attack.

He’s not just a big guy, though. He ran a 4.07 in the 20-yard shuttle. That was the third-fastest time in the entire draft class, regardless of position, beaten only by Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who went in the first round to Seattle, and Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents, who also could go early in the second round.

If Washington is the player Gutekunst wants – the Packers hosted him on a predraft visit, so there’s obvious interest – he had Thursday night and most of Friday to determine whether there’s a realistic path.

Based on the Rich Hill Trade Chart, a package of No. 42 of the second round and No. 116 of the fourth round is the point equivalent of the 35th or 36th pick. The teams that own those picks, the Colts at 35 and Rams at 36, probably would welcome an additional draft pick.

Would that be high enough, though? The Detroit Lions, who are picking 34th, need a tight end, as well. At FanDuel Sportsbook, Detroit is the betting favorite to be the team that selects Mayer. (There are no odds for Washington.)

Speaking of Mayer, why did the record-setting tight end fall through the first round? Echoing what two other sources said this week, he’s overrated. Not that he’s a bad prospect; it’s just that teams didn’t rate him as highly as reporters.

“He’s productive but a little bit schemed up,” the scout said. “You kind of question if his tools are good enough to really translate. He’s not fast, he’s not long. He’s big. He’s not a great blocker for being so big. There’s really not a standout physical trait. He’s a good football player but I think he’s just going to be a big possession guy. He’s not going to run away from people. You’re going to have to scheme him up downfield. I don’t think he should drop too much more but I didn’t think he was a first-round pick.”

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