Michael Mayer Takes Care Of Business At 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
Former Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer ended his Irish career as arguably the best player at a position that the program has produced so well historically. In just three seasons, Mayer set the overall records for receptions (180), receiving yards (2,099) and touchdowns (18) by a tight end.
He showed up to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine with a ton of fanfare and a great reputation as a person and football player. It was his opportunity to wow NFL evaluators and coaches as we move closer to the 2023 NFL Draft kicking off at the end of April.
BUZZ AROUND MAYER
Coming into the week, Mayer had significant buzz as having the inside track to being the first tight end off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was, however, not the consensus pick among all NFL teams. There were some teams who like Utah standout Dalton Kincaid, and others who also like both Georgia behemoth Darnell Washington and Oregon State star Luke Musgrave near the top.
The heavy majority did prefer Mayer, who brings an outstanding resume of physicality, ball skills, route running ability and production to the table. Teams did want to see a complete performance from Mayer, including checking boxes from a medical perspective, impressing coaches and scouts in the meeting room and showcasing his talents on the field.
Two of the three (medicals and meetings) were looked at as no-brainers. There was some intrigue to see just how good of an athlete he was.
ATHLETIC TESTING RESULTS
The scrutiny of Mayer’s performance was nothing more than your traditional Twitter world overreaction. Mayer was expected to run somewhere in the high 4.6s or low 4.7s in the forty yard dash in Indianapolis. He did just that, clocking in at 4.70 during the test.
The rest of the testing was rock solid for Mayer. His vertical leap was pretty ordinary but showed lower body explosiveness in the broad jump for a well above average number. This was a business trip. It was about checking boxes and making teams comfortable with the type of high caliber athlete he is. Mayer’s testing should be looked at as unspectacular but also taking care of business.
Here are the official results from Mayer’s athletic testing portion of the Combine.
Height: 6’4 ½”
Weight: 249 pounds
Arm length: 31 ⅝ inches
Hand size: 9 ½ inches
Forty yard dash: 4.70 seconds (1.66 ten yard split)
Vertical jump: 32.5 inches
Broad jump: 9’10”
Three cone: DNP
Short shuttle: DNP
FIELD DRILLS
The scrutiny from the athletic testing quickly died once Mayer’s official forty time came back and the field drill portion of the workout began. From there, the former Notre Dame star really shined.
A big part of Mayer’s game that is severely underrated is his ability to change direction. He looked incredibly smooth running routes, showing the ability to get in and out of his breaks cleanly with little wasted motion. Mayer was about as smooth as you will find from that perspective.
In the blocking portion, Mayer played with good bend, showcased solid body position and showed explosiveness on contact. He has been on record that teams want his technique as a blocker to continue to improve. It was a positive showcase for his progress this off-season.
Mayer displayed everything you wanted, really having a great all-around on field performance. He was smooth, consistent, caught everything and showed that when the real football work begins, Mayer shines the brightest.
HOW MUCH DID HE HELP HIMSELF?
“Helping himself” can be a little complicated of a term. Mayer entered the week by many as the top tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft class and many thought he was comfortably on the top. Any time you are in that position, you have more to potentially lose than gain.
From a testing perspective, Mayer checked a lot of boxes. It wasn’t anything flashy but when you watch Mayer play, that isn’t what you get anyway. He wins with his supreme competitiveness, physicality and smoothness. You just wanted to see him test as a good athlete and he did that.
Off the field, Mayer knocked this performance out of the park. There were several reports that Mayer was arguably one of the big winners in the meeting rooms this week. That should be no surprise to anyone who follows Notre Dame football, always carrying himself with such class and bringing an infectious personality.
There is always a chance that a team may overthink Mayer, who is about as easy of an evaluation as you will find. Doing so just feels like a very unwise decision.
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