Jalen Wydermyer is going pro. On Monday, the Texas A&M tight end announced that he’ll forgo his remaining eligibility to enter the 2022 NFL draft.
“Aggie Nation, 12th Man, and the entire College Station community, from my first visit to campus I felt at home,” Wydermyer wrote (Twitter link). “Thank you for making me one of your own.”
Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Wydermyer ranked as the best tight end in this year’s class, ahead of Colorado State’s Trey McBride and Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert. At 6’5″ and 255 pounds, he already has the build for the pro game. And, with 40 catches for 515 yards and four touchdowns to close out his collegiate career, he’s got a solid chance of going in the first round. On the flipside, some scouts are concerned about his history of drops. It’s also worth noting that this year’s TE class is especially deep, so it’s possible that teams will wait until Day 2 to start drafting them.
Wydermyer, who will also skip the Gator Bowl, leaves campus with 118 receptions for 1,468 yards and 16 touchdowns in total.
Trey McBride is the pride of Colorado State not Michigan State.
I see as a high 2nd.
Wydermyer reminds me of a lesser Kyle Pitts from last year, with more questionable hands. His athleticism is undeniable, and he will assuredly be a match-up nightmare for defensive backs and linebackers alike. However, he does not block well and as mentioned, drops some headscratchers. He is, to me, a wideout with TE size.
A&M has produced a handful of receiving tight ends recently that were drafted and made NFL rosters, but Wydermyer projects to be the most high profile-I think any vertical offense could fit him in, but any place looking to use purely as a traditional TE might have to develop him some more.
He’s bundled up, so even entering DRAFT, he will be protected from getting a cold !!