Here are the top 10 tight end prospects (with projected round) for the NFL draft, which is set for April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri:
1. Michael Mayer, Jr., TE, Notre Dame, 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, 1st round: He played in 36 games over three seasons and caught 180 passes for 2,099 yards (11.7 per catch) and 18 touchdowns.
2. Dalton Kincaid, Sr., TE, Utah, 6-4, 240, 1st: He’s a pass-catching tight end and will not provide much help blocking early on. “He has explosiveness,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said. “He can stretch the seam. He can create after the catch. He has very good ball skills as well.”
3. Darnell Washington, Jr., TE, Georgia, 6-6, 270, 1st-2nd: He played in 27 games for the Bulldogs and caught 45 passes for 774 yards and two touchdowns.
4. Luke Musgrave, Jr., TE, Oregon State, 6-6, 255, 1st-2nd: Nephew of former Falcons quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave. Sustained a back injury, but recovered in time to play in the Senior Bowl.
5. Tucker Kraft, Jr., TE, South Dakota State, 6-5, 255, 2nd: He was a consensus FCS All-American and two-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference first-team.
6. Sam LaPorta, Sr., TE, Iowa, 6-4, 249, 3rd: He played in 40 games over four seasons with the Hawkeyes. He had 153 catches for 1,786 yards (11.7 per catch) and five touchdowns.
7. Luke Schoonmaker, Sr., TE, Michigan, 6-5, 249, 3rd-4th: He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection. Last season he caught 35 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns.
8. Payne Durham, Sr., TE, Purdue, 6-5, 258, 4th: The former Peachtree Ridge High standout was a three-time All-Academic selection in the Big Ten who played lacrosse before converting to football. He played in 36 games for the Boilermakers and caught 126 passes for 1,275 yards and 21 touchdowns.
9. Cameron Latu, Sr., TE, Alabama, 6-4, 248, 4th-5th: After moving from linebacker to tight end, he played mostly on special teams early in his career at Alabama. He was productive at tight end over his final two seasons as he caught 56 passes for 787 yards (14.1 per catch) and four touchdowns.
10. Davis Allen, Sr., TE, Clemson, 6-6, 250, 6th-7th: He played at Calhoun High. He played in 42 games and caught 88 passes for 951 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Tigers.
Best of the rest: Cincinnati’s Josh Whyle, Penn State’s Brenton Strange, Oklahoma’s Brayden Willis, Old Dominion’s Zach Kuntz and Cincinnati’s Leonard Taylor. “If you want to develop a guy and bring (Kuntz) in and contribute a little bit early on as a No. 3 and maybe develop him into at No. 2,” McShay said. “He’s a player with the traits to develop.”
Local prospects: Washington, Durham and Allen.
Teams in need: Cardinals, Lions, Titans, Rams and Chargers.
Need area for Falcons: No. The Falcons are deep at tight end with Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, Parker Hesse, Feleipe Franks, John FitzPatrick, Tucker Fisk and John Raine.
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