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Scouting Profile: Tight End Evan Engram

Scouting Profile: Tight End Evan Engram

Evan Engram, Ole Miss

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 234 lbs.
40-yard dash: 4.42 seconds
Vertical: 36”
Arms: 33 1/2″
Hands: 10”

One of the most questionable things in the draft would have to be Engram’s designation as a tight end, as he doesn’t look or play the part of a tight end. His size comparison in the NFL right now is Demaryius Thomas, who is obviously not being used as an in-line tight end. Is there a place for Engram to make an impact in the NFL? Absolutely, so let’s dissect what his skills are and where they would fit best.

As mentioned at the top, Engram is a wide receiver posing as a tight end. He lined up in the slot more often than he didn’t while playing with Ole Miss, moving around the formation, creating mismatches for the defense. While they did use him in-line at times, Engram isn’t going to be there much in the NFL because his blocking is awful. He lowers his head and throws his body at the defender, which is something that won’t work in the pros. He’s just simply not a big enough body to stop blitzing linebackers or defensive ends.

Now that we’ve crossed off his ability to block, we can talk about what he does well, and that is play the big slot role. Over the last few years, this has become a common practice for NFL teams, as Jordan Matthews, Larry Fitzgerald, and Brandon Marshall come to mind. The advantage that this gives you is that they’ll typically line up against a slot cornerback, safety, or linebacker. Let me start by saying that you aren’t going to cover Engram’s speed with a linebacker, and it’ll be a rare circumstance where a slot cornerback is over six-feet tall. Engram runs a low-4.4 second 40-yard dash and has a 36-inch vertical leap that shows up on tape. He’s a matchup nightmare if used correctly.

Engram doesn’t take long to get up to speed, either, which ties in well with his solid route running. There are some minor tweaks that’ll need to be made, like not giving away when he’s going down the seam, but all the fundamentals are there. One of the things that he can be taught is how to better use his body to block out defenders, as that combined with his vertical could be deadly inside the redzone.

If used properly in an offense, he should have no issue getting open, which should help with some of his drops on strongly covered passes. His hands can be inconsistent at times, but as we’ve noted with other players, it’s not the biggest concern. Engram is going to create a nightmare for opposing defenses, especially if a team can somehow mask his blocking deficiencies, because they’d have no choice but to match him up with a linebacker.

Potential Landing Spot

With all of the questions surrounding Ladarius Green’s health, combined with the uncertainty of Martavis Bryant’s suspension (which seems to have come to an end), the Steelers make a very interesting fit for Engram. They have a strong offensive line that doesn’t necessarily need him to stay in and block, and Jesse James should be able to fill that role in 2TE sets. Can you imagine an offense with Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Martavis Bryant, and Evan Engram?

NFL Comparison

It’s difficult to compare Engram with another tight end, because I really don’t view him as a tight end. But if you wanted a comparison, it would have to be a combination of the late-Aaron Hernandez (who was a far better blocker than Engram) and Jordan Reed. Similar to Hernandez, Engram can be lined up all over the field, at half back, full back, in-line, in the slot, or out wide. We all know that Reed is nothing more than a receiving tight end who can’t really block. While the designation may not make all the sense, Engram might contribute to fantasy teams immediately with the lack of diverse options like him in the NFL.

To read up on some of the other high-profile NFL Draft prospects, check out the links below:

David Njoku – (TE, Miami)
O.J. Howard – (TE, Alabama)
Mitch Trubisky – (QB, North Carolina)
Deshaun Watson – (QB, Clemson)
Pat Mahomes – (QB, Texas Tech)
Leonard Fournette – (RB, LSU)
Joe Mixon – (RB, Oklahoma)
Christian McCaffrey – (RB, Stanford)
Dalvin Cook – (RB, Florida State)
Corey Davis – (WR, Western Michigan)
Mike Williams – (WR, Clemson)
John Ross – (WR, Washington)


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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.

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