While tight end is one of the most challenging positions when transitioning from college to the NFL, Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer is well-suited to succeed as a rookie.
Standing 6-foot-4, 249 pounds, Mayer is considered the top tight end prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft, scheduled for April 27-29 in Kansas City.
The former five-star recruit was everything as advertised in South Bend and finished his career as the greatest tight end in school history. He’s the program’s record holder for receptions (180), receiving yards (2,099) and touchdowns (18) for the position.
As much as he is a threat in the receiving game, he’s also a polished blocker who should be able to step in as a Day 1 starter. Plenty of teams will be eying Mayer in the first round, here are three of his best fits:
Detroit Lions
As the owner of two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 18), the Lions can be creative with their selections on Thursday. A defender should be selected at pick six, considering Detroit allowed the most yards by a team last season, but it shouldn’t double up on that side of the ball.
After trading T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings midseason, Detroit has Brock Wright, another Notre Dame tight end, penciled in as its starter, though he’s more of a TE2. One reason Detroit traded Hockenson was his inability to block, as evidenced by his 58.2 Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade, 32nd among tight ends.
On the other hand, Mayer posted the highest PFF run-blocking grade in his draft class among players who played at least 200 snaps in that role (82.1).
Detroit’s offense, which scored the fifth-most points last season, could become even more explosive with Mayer on board, and he’d double as a valuable safety net for quarterback Jared Goff.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys lost Dalton Schultz, a trusted target for quarterback Dak Prescott and an integral piece of the offense in recent years, to in-state Houston during free agency. Schultz, Dallas’ second-leading receiver last season, has the fourth-most receptions by a tight end since 2020 (198).
Despite having solid options in Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot, Dallas has shown it tends to use several tight ends per game.
Last week, Prescott spoke to reporters at the Children’s Cancer Fund “Light It Up” Gala about his ideal traits for a tight end, and Mayer meets his criteria.
“I just think about intelligence,” Prescott said. “A tight end knows just as much as a quarterback when it comes to the blocking, pass protection, his hots, his sights and just the zones in the middle.”
The betting market anticipates Dallas as Mayer’s likely destination, with Oddschecker listing the Cowboys as the favorite to draft Mayer (+350).
Cincinnati Bengals
Tight end Hayden Hurst cashed in on a strong season with quarterback Joe Burrow (52 receptions, 414 yards and two touchdowns), securing a three-year $21.8M contract with Carolina. Cincinnati replaced him with free-agent pickup Irv Smith Jr., but the signing shouldn’t preclude taking Mayer if he’s available at pick 28.
Blocking-wise, Smith isn’t exceptional by any means, and since being drafted in 2019, he has played in just eight more games (37) than he has missed with injuries (29). Last season, he was limited to eight games with a high ankle sprain.
The upside Smith can offer is his receiving skills, which can complement Mayer’s abilities and allow them to coincide in multiple tight end sets.
As if sharing the field with Burrow and wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins isn’t enticing enough, Mayer would relish playing in Cincinnati, having grown up in nearby Independence, Kentucky.
