Similar to WR Jordan Addison, Michael Mayer is a safe bet to be a high-end starter but doesn’t have the elite upside that gets you taken in the top ten. He showed great improvement as a run blocker throughout college and became the centerpiece of Notre Dame’s offense. His combine numbers likely won’t be helping his stock in March, but scouts are going to love what he brings on film. What will make him such a safe draft pick is his well-developed all-around traits. He was easily one of the best offensive players in college football, and he has aspects to his game that will translate to the pros. Mayer was genuinely one of the most fun watches so far.
Five games were evaluated and clips from his film are broken down here. All relevant traits were graded based on his film. Stats and analytics such as PFF grades were also factored into his scouting report. Thank you to both TFG and PFF for inspiring this draft content. Please leave your feedback on Twitter, @FBIntellect.
| Profile |
|---|
| 1st TE / 1st RD | 6’4 / 249 | Class – JR | College – Notre Dame |
| Pro Comparison |
|---|
| Dallas Goedert/ Mark Andrews |
| Scheme |
|---|
| Possession |
Receiving Stats
2022 (through WK 14):
TGT – 101
REC – 67
YDS – 809
TDS – 9
2021:
TGT – 95
REC – 71
YDS – 840
TDS – 7
Clip Analysis
In this clip above, Mayer beats press and comes down with a tough catch preceding contact.
Here is a great example of how good his upside is as a move blocker.
In this one, he demonstrated excellent speed against a Safety and then also had good ball tracking to haul in a big catch.
Grades
Overall Draft Grade: 78.7
Impact Grade
Overall – 75.0
Receiving – 75.1
Blocking – 68.5
Potential Grade
Overall – 87.5
Receiving – 85.8
Blocking – 85.6
Traits/ Skills (see bottom of the page for scale)
Each trait/attribute is graded 1-7.
| Traits | Immediate | Potential |
| SPD | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| ACC | 5.6 | 5.6 |
| AGI | 5.6 | 5.6 |
| STR | 5.4 | 5.8 |
| VER | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| DRP | 5 | 6.4 |
| CIT | 5.2 | 6 |
| DIC | 5 | 5.6 |
| SMRR | 4.5 | 5.8 |
| DRR | 4.5 | 5.4 |
| REL | 4.3 | 5.6 |
| RAC | 5.2 | 5.4 |
| IQ | 4.8 | 6.2 |
| RBLK | 4.8 | 6 |
| MBLK | 4 | 5.4 |
| PPRO | 3.8 | 5 |
| TE Key |
|---|
| SPD – Speed ACC – Acceleration AGI – Agility STR – Strength VER – Vertical (height and jumping) DRP – Drop (while open, and accurate) CIT – Catch In Traffic DIC – Difficult Catching (catch radius) |
| SMRR – Short/ Intermediate Route Running DRR – Deep Route Running REL – Release RAC – Run After Catch IQ – Football IQ RBLK – Run Blocking MBLK – Move Blocking PPRO – Pass Protection |
Player Notes
- Michael Mayer is a prototypical possession (Y) Tigh End who’ll bring immediate value to any offense in need of a TE. He currently ranks 13th on the FBI 2023 Big Board.
Pros
- Has very strong hands and is aggressive at the catch point.
- Was a do-it-all player in college.
- Runs smooth and crip routes at all levels of the field.
- Gained 25 pounds since committing to Notre Dame and has exceptional play strength.
- The effort is clearly there as a run blocker – is a high-end run blocker playing inline and has room to grow his move blocking
- He uses his frame well to box out defenders.
- Has very good contact balance after the catch and has flashed some shiftiness as well.
- Consistently came down with catches in the middle of the field and when in traffic; is very good at not letting contact affect his catches.
- Only has 12 drops throughout all three seasons of college.
- Already has a very high-level understanding of the game which is kind of rare for a TE prospect.
Cons
- Doesn’t have the ideal vertical ability and top-end speed to be an elite vertical tight end.
- He could grow to be more consistent in making plays after the catch.
- He has a tendency to get lost in space, blocking on screen passes.
- Didn’t always beat press coverage when he faced it.
- His route running will be capped off to an extent.
Combine
40 yd: 4.7
10 yd: 1.66
Shuttle:
3 cone:
Broad: 9’10”
Vertical: 33 1/2″
Bench:
Arm Length: 31 5/8″
Hand Size: 9 1/2″
Grading Scale
Pot=Potential: players’ highest upside
Imp=Impact: player’s immediate impact
| Draft Grade Formula | |
| Age: 21-22: | POT=(30%) IMP=(70%) |
| Age: 23-24: | POT=(28%) IMP=(72%) |
| Age:-25+: | POT=(26%) IMP=(74%) |
| Good/ bad character: | POT=(+2%/-2%) IMP=(-2%/+2%) |
| Injury: | POT=(-1%) in increments |
| Scheme Grade Weight: |
|---|
| REC=(.78) BLCK=(.24) |
| Individual trait scale (1-7): |
|---|
| 7 – Rare world-class skill; best in the league and no room for improvement | 6 – Great-elite skill; one of the best at that given trait but still has some room to improve | 5 – Very good; above average and has potential to be elite | 4 – Average; able to suffice but, not ideal long-term | 3 – Below average; able to suffice at college level | 2 – Poor; hinders overall play and is a liability to the team | 1 – Awful; not good enough to play given position at any level above D2 | Note: Consistency plays a large factor. |
| Overall Draft grade scale (15-100): |
|---|
| 84 – Perfect prospect | 81 – Bluechip prospect | 80 – Likely all-pro | 79 – Day one quality starter or superstar potential | 78 – Day one starter w/ all-pro upside | 77 – Day one starter w/ high-end upside | 76 – Boom or bust | 75 – Will become quality starter within 2-3 years | 74 – Boom or bust (high risk) | 73 – Will become starter within 2-3 years |
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