Miami Hurricanes TE Will Mallory goes in round five to Colts in NFL Draft, CB DJ Ivey taken in 7th round
Add another player from Tight End U to the NFL. Will Mallory, who started 37 games in his five-year Miami career, was chosen in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
And Miami’s other starting cornerback from last year’s team in the draft, DJ Ivey, joined second round pick Tyrique Stevenson as an NFL draftee. Ivey was taken in the seventh round by the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 246 pick overall).
Mallory ended his time at UM with 115 catches for 1,544 yards and 14 TDs, and he was at Miami under four different coordinators. Mallory’s most productive season was this past one, when he led the team with 42 catches for 538 yards and three TDs.
The expectations for Mallory going into the draft ranged anywhere from rounds 4-7.
The Beast NFL Draft Guide, for instance, rated Will Mallory the No. 14 tight end with a fifth to sixth round grade. ESPN’s Matt Miller has him going in the sixth round with the No. 193 pick.
Mallory measured at the NFL Combine at 6-4 and 239 pounds and ran the 40 in 4.54 seconds. That was fastest of the tight ends, .01 seconds ahead of Old Dominion’s Zach Kuntz, who is rated the No. 10 tight end. Top-rated tight end Michael Mayer, out of Notre Dame, measured in at 6-4 and 249 pound and ran the 40 in 4.70 seconds. So maybe Mallory could sneak up a little bit based on his speed … but his downside is teams don’t believe he can be a very good blocker at the next level. Mallory’s hands also were on the smaller side (9 3/8) and he tested with a 36.5 inch vertical and 10’2 broad jump along with 20 reps on the bench press.
The Beast Draft Guide noted of Mallory that “With gradual improvements in his production each season, Mallory led the Hurricanes in receiving in 2022 and finished No. 2 in receiving among tight ends in school history, which is even more impressive considering Miami’s NFL pipeline at the position. … However, he can be mugged at the line and downfield, and his blocking tape is very mediocre. Overall, Mallory isn’t the type of tight end you are going to line up inline and play smash-mouth football, but he is an athletic pass catcher on the move with long-striding speed and accessible ball skills. He has the talent to compete for F tight end duties for an NFL team.”
Now Mallory is set to prove himself as a pro, and he is the fifth tight end taken from Miami since 2015. That season it was Clive Walford going to the Raiders in the third round (68th pick). In 2017 David Njoku was a first round pick by the Browns (29th overall), and in 2018 Chris Herndon was selected in the fourth round (107th overall) by the Jets.
The previous tight end to go in the draft played alongside Mallory early in his career – that would be Brevin Jordan, who was a fifth round pick (No. 147 overall) by the Texans in 2021.
Unlike Mallory and Stevenson, Ivey was considered a borderline draftable prospect. He was ranked the No. 44 corner by The Beast NFL Draft Guide and was listed as a preferred free agent by most. At 6-0 and 189 pounds, Ivey ran the 40 in 4.40 seconds.
Ivey’s The Beast guide bio reads “He has the short-area footwork to match routes, but his eye balance and lack of route recognition leads to wasted steps out of breaks and separation for the receiver. His tackling and ball skills are fine, but they aren’t exactly strengths of his game. Overall, Ivey struggles to anticipate, but he is tall, long and athletic, can play both man and zone and can compete for a spot on the back end of an NFL roster.”
As a fifth-year senior last season, Ivey beat out Daryl Porter, Jr. for the starting job opposite Stevenson and had seven pass breakups and two interceptions. He had 32 career starts and ended his Miami career with 127 tackles (92 solo), 17 passes defended and six interceptions.
