Jalen Wydermyer Scouting Report: NFL Draft Prospect Report

 

Tight End, Texas A&M Aggies, # 85

 

Measurements

6′ 4″ / 255 lbs

40 Time: currently unknown

 

Jalen Wydermyer Player Profile

Jalen Wydermyer is a former four-star recruit out of Dickinson High School in Dickinson, Texas. While at Dickinson, he was a three-year varsity letterman in football and a two-year varsity letterman in basketball. According to MaxPreps, his sophomore year he only had 11 receptions, but turned those into 201 yards and five touchdowns. This is telling me that they used his size to their advantage primarily in the redzone. His junior year, he was a lot more effective. He had 27 total receptions for 460 yards and eight touchdowns. Finally, his senior year was his most productive year by far. He racked up a total of 35 receptions for 771 yards and five touchdowns.

This kind of efficiency was good enough to earn a four-star prospect rating according to 247sports. He also was able to get 23 division I scholarship offers. He turned down offers from major programs like Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon to join Texas A&M.

 

Jaylen Wydermyer Strengths

 

Size and Frame

Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer

Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer

Wydermyer has a fantastic frame, standing at 6’5” and weighing 255 lbs. When comparing his size to tight ends in the NFL, he is around the standard size. For example, George Kittle is 6’4” 250 lbs and Travis Kelce is 6’5” 260 lbs. This already gives him an advantage right out of the gate, because he won’t have to put on weight in the offseason. Although having this big frame is a bonus for the most part, it does take a toll on his speed. Again, comparing his projected 40 yard dash time to Kelce and Kittle’s 40 time out of college, he is slower by a decent amount. Wydermyer’s projected 40 time is 4.70. Meanwhile, Kittle’s 40-yard dash time at the combine was 4.52.

Run Blocking

Jalen Wydermyer is a very good run blocker. When he is on the field it is like having a sixth offensive lineman in the game. He does a fantastic job of using his size and strength to his advantage when creating lanes for Spiller and Achane. When watching the most recent game against Alabama, he did a fantastic job of getting down the field and making a key block to provide more room for his running back. Although he may not be as fast as Kittle, he may become as dominant a blocker.

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Versatility

Jalen Wydermyer is one of the most versatile tight ends in college football. Whatever you need him to do, he can do it and do a fantastic job. He can either act as an additional offensive lineman or an additional receiver. When watching the 2021 Orange Bowl against North Carolina, I realized that Wydermyer had a very quiet stat line only having one reception for four yards. But that didn’t stop him from making his presence felt by making key blocks for Isaiah Spiller and Kellen Mond. Being able to be this versatile will make the transition to the NFL be a lot easier, because you can be a role player for any offense in the NFL.

Effective in a Run Heavy Offense

The past few years, Texas A&M has been a very run heavy offense. Since his freshman year, Wydermyer has been a key part to that success. This is not because he is the one running the ball, but because he is a very good run blocker as mentioned earlier. He even does a fantastic job when blocking against one of the top defenses in the nation. When watching him play against Alabama, the defender rarely broke through his blocks. This shows that he does a fantastic job of using his strength to overpower or neutralize the defender.

Route Running

Jalen Wydermyer is a effecient route runner considering his size and lack of elite speed. Against Alabama on October 9th, Wydermyer did a fantastic job of picking apart the zone defense with his route running. In the first quarter, Wydermyer did a very good job of finding holes in defense and finding a wide-open lane to the endzone. Whether it’s a designed play or a bit of improv, against the zone he does his job. We won’t see him break many ankles, but he will be consistent.

Jalen Wydermyer Weaknesses

Relies on Quarterback Play

When looking at Wydermyer’s production last year compared to this year, I realized his production is down so far this year. I was wondering why this would be, because he looks just as good as last year. Then I realized that he no longer has Kellen Mond throwing to him. Although this is not really a weakness that he can control, in order to be great at the next level you have to be able to adjust. A truly great player seems to produce no matter who is getting the ball out. With this being said, he has still been pretty productive this year, so he will still have a future in the NFL.

Speed

Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer

Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer

As mentioned earlier when I talked about his size, his speed is a bit of a red flag. Although his speed won’t prevent him from being effective in the NFL, he may have a better career if he increases his speed. I think his route running is pretty good for a tight end of his size. It is his lack of speed that is stopping him from being a mid-1st round pick. When thinking of tight ends picture more of a Gronk than a Kittle running down field.

Jalen Wydermyer Draft Stock

When I was determining where to rank Wydermyer in this year’s draft, I came to the conclusion he can go as early as the late 1st round. If I were wanting to draft Wydermyer, I would try to grab him in the early 2nd round. For some people that may seem as impossible, because he would be long gone by this point. For other people this may be seen as a reach.

The team that I think he would be the best fit would be either Jacksonville or Dallas. He would work well on these teams because he fits the mold of both of their offenses. If I was Dallas, I would prioritize drafting him because he would be a fantastic blocker alongside their already stacked offensive line. He would also be another weapon to the lethal receiving core that they have.

Final Thoughts on Jalen Wydermyer

Wydermyer is one of the top tight ends in the nation. His versatility allows him to be effective in any offense that he plays in, which will help him at the next level. Although he is versatile, I think he would best fit in a run heavy offense. One of my counterparts here at DraftDive, Ken Noble, loves him in a scheme similar to that of the Ravens, Eagles, or Colts. We also like the thought of him serving as a tight end two to Kelce or Gronk for a year.

Jalen Wydermeyer NFL Comparison: Fellow Texas A&M alum Martellus Bennett. Bennett was a big bodied tight end who would use his body well to block out defenders and make tough catches. He was also able to utilise his size and strength in the run game. I would expect Wydermyer to produce more like Bennett did with the Bears and Patriots than he did with Dallas.

Jalen Wydermyer Scouting Report by Matthew Lewis