(2023) Michael Mayer - TE- Notre Dame

Michael Mayer
TE
6’4, 265
Junior

Strengths	Weaknesses
Versatile Usage Very Reliable Hands Incredible Catch In Traffic Ability Very Good Blocker in the Pass and Run game Tough to Tackle, Physical Player Durable	Average Speed and Agility Generally Stiff Route Running Low Overall Ceiling

2022 Statistics (Per PFF)

*(Ranking is out of the  74 TEs with 30 Targets this season)

2022 Statistic	Total	Ranking*	Rank Percentile
Receiving Yards	809	2nd	Top 3%
Receiving TDs	9	1st	Top 1%
Yards per Reception	12.1	30th	Top 41%
Targets	101	1st	Top 1%
Catch %	66.3%	44th	Bottom 41%
Drop %	5.6	T-32nd	Top 43%
Avg Depth of Target	8.1	27th	Top 36%
YAC	325	5th	Top 7%

Write-Up:

Michael Mayer is an extremely productive junior Tight End out of Notre Dame. He plays traditionally a Y (inline) role, though has been lined up in the slot and on the outside at Notre Dame. He led all CFB tight ends in targets and receiving touchdowns while finishing 2nd in total receiving yards. He missed no games this season and has not missed any games in his college career. 

Overall, Michael Mayer is one of the most well-rounded tight ends that has entered the NFL Draft in a while. He will be accurately labeled as a “jack of all trades”, but it's important to also add on “master of none”. While nobody in the class has the amount of good traits that Mayer does, some surpass him in certain aspects of their games. He is not one of the best receiving tight ends in the class, but he is a good one. He is not one of the best blocking tight ends in the class, but he is a good one. He is a huge target with soft hands and incredible catch in traffic ability. Mayer is a good pass and run blocker and can excel as a lead blocker moving downfield. Mayer is not an incredible route runner, but he often doesn’t need to separate too much with how big his catch radius is. Mayer is fairly unimpressive from an athletic point of view. He is not particularly fast or agile, and other tight ends are better than him in terms of strength as well. Michael Mayer is the definition of “high floor, low ceiling”. NFL teams will love his game and he will most likely be a first round pick, even if there are more exciting tight ends drafted behind him. There will probably be almost instant success at the next level, but he may never truly enter any top TE discussions.

POSITIVES:

Michael Mayer is a true throwback to the tight ends of the mid-2000s in both good and bad ways. He exemplifies the idea of a “safety net” He is a huge target and displays dependable hands with an excellent ability to use his body to outposition defenders at the catch point. He is phenomenal at making the catch with defenders draped all over him. Mayer is not a great route runner, but he can work his way down the field, and his catch in traffic ability will make him a good downfield and red zone target. With the ball in his hands, he is a good YAC threat purely due to his strength and size; it is very hard for defenders to bring him down when he gets going. Mayer is generally a solid blocker, with good strength and a solid base in both the run and pass game. 

WEAKNESSES:

Mayer is quite average athletically, especially compared to some of the tight ends that have come out of the draft in recent years. He is not particularly fast and agile, which does hurt him as a receiver. His routes can look very stiff at times and is not a good separator. This stiffness carries over to his blocking as well. He can get beat by quick and bendy edge rushers to his outside.

Draft Projection: Likely Round 1, but Round 2 talent