NFL Draft Film Breakdown: Is Jelani Woods Exactly What the Bengals Need at Tight End?

Woods is one of the best athletes in this year's draft class.

Author:
Mike Santagata
Updated:
Apr 12, 2022 7:45 AM EDT
Original:
Apr 12, 2022

Bengals fans have fallen in love with Jelani Woods and it’s easy to see why—He’s a monstrous tight end with elite measurables and testing.

The former high school quarterback started his career in Oklahoma State where he didn't get much opportunity to catch the ball. After transferring to the University of Virginia, he finally got that opportunity. He made good on it by catching 44 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. It’s only one year, but he demonstrated that he can play tight end at the collegiate level. Let’s dive into the film and see who he is as a player.

What He Does Well

Nov 27, 2021; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers tight end Jelani Woods (0) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the first quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports — Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Woods' elite size makes him challenging to cover. He's an gigantic target when he boxes players out and has a pretty good catch radius to go with it. He’s a matchup problem and it will lead to defensive penalties and easy gains.

He gets physical with the defense while running his routes and will constantly attack defenders that try to reroute him by pushing and running through contact.

Powerful ability to run after the catch. He consistently runs through defenders by lowering his shoulder and staying on his feet. He’s a tough player to bring down.

Good ability to drive defenders on run blocks. When he puts himself in the right position and drives his feet, he can really move defensive linemen and linebackers.

Has pretty good pass protection chops to be able to hold up in these situations. Not just as a chip player, but also on his own against defenders.

Woods tested like the most athletic tight end even. He earned a 10 relative athletic score and was one of the most impressive tight ends in the pre-draft process.

Areas of Concern

Oct 9, 2021; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Virginia Cavaliers tight end Jelani Woods (0) runs the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at Cardinal Stadium. Virginia defeated Louisville 34-33. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports — Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

He doesn’t look like an elite athlete on film. He’s not extremely fast, he doesn’t sink on his routes, and he doesn’t change direction all that well. He looks like an above average athlete not an elite one.

Woods has a lot of difficulty in breaking jams from defenders. If a defender can get his hands on Woods’s big frame, he can typically knock him off of his route, ruin the timing, and stick tight to his hip.

He plays too high after initial contact on his blocks. He doesn’t sink his hips all that well and will pretty consistently pop up after the initial contact. You want him to stay lower blocks like the one below.

Overall Thoughts

Mar 3, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Virginia tight end Jelani Woods (TE20) goes through drills during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports — Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Woods is a humongous ball of clay for an offensive coordinator and tight end coach to mold into what they want him to be in the NFL.

Overall I think Woods can be an awesome tight end, but he’s far from it. Some people believe he would be a mismatch nightmare, but he currently struggles to pull in balls away from his frame, double catches, bobbles, and drops balls.

He doesn’t break jams at the line of scrimmage well, he rounds all of his routes and comes out of his breaks away from his quarterback, and he plays less athletic than his testing. He has some ability when it comes to catching the ball because he does have a giant frame, can make contested catches, is powerful after the catch, and plays physical to stay on the right track.

I’m listing his physicality as a positive, he almost always extends his arm when trying to “push off” and there are other situations where he plays too physical and will draw offensive penalties. Overall he’s probably three to four years away from being a really useful tight end in the passing game and if he’s that far away, then he won’t really have much effect as a player until he’s 28 or 29 years old and at the end of his first contract.

When it comes to his blocking, he actually does a pretty nice job for a tight end. No one will confuse him for Rob Gronkowski or George Kittle, but he can get good initial movement on players, drives his feet, and has some pass protection chops. He struggles to keep his 6-foot-7 frame low to the ground and doesn’t bend all that well, but that’s a common issue with tight ends. When he does start to get real playing time in the NFL, he should be able to play in-line and block defenders adequately.

Scheme Fit

Provided that the skills he displayed in college are portable to the NFL, he’s a pretty versatile fit among NFL offenses. He can play in-line, but also teams are going to want to use him on the backside of trips or as a big slot as well because of his size and tested athleticism. He’s a few years away from being a finished product, but he seems to have the potential to fit just about any offense as a tight end.

Grade

Fourth Round

NFL Comparison

C.J. Uzomah

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