Newsstand: Where Mel Kiper Jr. put Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer in latest mock draft
Mel Kiper Jr. still has Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer pegged as the No. 1 tight end in this draft. The ESPN draft analyst’s latest mock reflects that.
Mayer is the No. 18 overall pick to the Detroit Lions in Kiper’s latest mock, which was published Tuesday. He’s the first tight drafted in the mock, going three spots ahead of Utah’s Dalton Kincaid.
“Mayer is the most complete tight end in this class,” Kiper wrote. “He’s physical as a run-blocker, and he can run seam routes and get open for quarterback Jared Goff. He caught 67 passes for 809 yards and nine touchdowns last season and had 180 catches in his college career. He could be the lead guy in Detroit.”
The Lions traded starting tight end and 2019 top-10 pick TJ Hockenson midseason, shipping away a key passing game piece. If Mayer goes there, he would likely challenge a former teammate for the starting job.
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Brock Wright, who played with Mayer on the Irish in 2020, became the Lions’ top tight end after the Hockenson trade. The second-year pro and former undrafted free agent had 18 catches for 216 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2022. Twelve of those catches and all 4 touchdowns came after Hockenson left.
Mayer is the No. 18 player on Kiper’s big board, one spot ahead of Kincaid.
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Quote of the Day
“Mayer’s just an exceptional route runner, and he had 17 contested catches — more than any other tight end in this class — the past year. He’s a bulldozer when he has the ball in his hands after the catch.”
– ESPN Draft analyst Todd McShay on Michael Mayer
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