Michael Mayer: Notre Dames Luck of the Irish

Pros

Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame is a prospect many people have been talking about. For good reason. Last season he had impressive numbers for a tight end in any format. He had a 40 time at 4.7 seconds. That may have been on the lower end of the tight ends in the draft but the range for tight ends is 4.54 (Will Mallory) and 4.87 (Payne Durham). If you dive into 40 times for tight ends as long as it is a 4.85 or below you should be fine without having the scouts and GMs worrying.

There is a lot to like about Michael Mayer. We will start with the non-fantasy relevant, blocking. Mayer blocks well enough to get players out of the play and that is obviously what you need to do. Mayer played a lot of H back, which is essentially a tight end but off the line of scrimmage, where he would be the lead blocker on a run play. A 6’4″, 249-pound guy coming at you in a hole can tire out the linebacker quickly.

Mayer’s size is ideal. He dominated his opponents in blocking, contested catches, and has the ability to track and win those match-ups more often than not. With all the blocking ability, also comes his ability to be really good in the play-action passing game and drop into the open part of zone coverage.

Mayer had some accuracy-plagued quarterbacks at Notre Dame and it showed off his catch radius and ability to track the ball that, personally, I would like to see more from the tight ends coming out. Michael Mayer is the do it all tight end. Isn’t afraid to get physical and will do anything you tell him to. Mayer excels at the interview process and can break down film, and retain that information better than most in this class.

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Cons

In the “Pros” section there was a lot of praise for his blocking. While it is good, we can always nitpick. With his size, in college, he can get away with just laying his hands on a defender, or leading with his head or should pads. You can’t do that in the NFL. You can see it on film that sometimes when he does lead with his head or shoulder, he gets beat.

If he keeps working on his technique and footwork, which he will, I believe in coaching; he will become a great blocker and not get stood up. Granted when a bigger defender does get leverage on Mayer, he still maintains the block, which takes the defender out of the play. This is strictly for being able to “dominate” the defender in your blocks. That gives the player, teammates, and coaches more confidence in the player. Which will give him more opportunities to help out his fantasy owners.

While having a diverse route tree and bad quarterback play, some of the contested catches he performs well with are unnecessary. While having an ideal 10-yard split at 1.66 seconds, he doesn’t seem to sell the top of his routes enough for the defender to bite. He has the athleticism to do it but relies on being bigger than everyone to get the catch. While impressive if he sold his route he could gain more separation and gain more yards down the field.

Summary

Michael Mayer could be the player we all thought Trey McBride was last year. While McBride is still good. Mayer is a little more polished. An ideal fit for Mayer would be an LA Rams type of offense. Tyler Higbee is their definite TE1 at the moment, but the 30-year-old does have some issues with injury. Michael Mayer could benefit from learning how to be a pro with Higbee and eventually be an easy transition into the starting role there.

The Rams have an early second-round pick at 36 overall. They also have 2 third-round selections at 69, and 77 respectively. Mayer will not be there in the third round. Do I see the Rams taking him at 36? Based on need, no. Based on best player available, he very well could be that.

The player comparisons are some tough shoes to fill. Pitta was an absolute athlete and fan favorite, while Clark was the do it all guy and leader in the locker room. Having a do it all tight end ultimately wins teams games. The tight ends at the combine all tested well and many improved their draft stock. While Mayer tested well before the combine I believe he was the consensus number 1 TE off the board. For some, that may be in question now.

If I am sitting with the 2.08 pick or later in rookie drafts and Mayer is available. He is a reasonable target to try and get a future top-10 fantasy tight end. Don’t overthink it, if he is your favorite rookie TE, take him. If he isn’t and your player was taken? He is still a great choice.

2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Projection: 2nd round on

Ideal Role: Starting Tight End depending on who is in the Tight End room

Player Comp: Dallas Clark, Dennis Pitta