Cowboys 'Well-Rounded' TE: Is Rookie Luke Schoonmaker a Starter?
Entering the NFL Draft with a perceived hole at tight end, the Dallas Cowboys waited patiently for their opportunity.
They could have pounced at No. 26 with Notre Dame's Michael Mayer and Iowa's Sam LaPorta still on the board. Instead, Dallas opted for defense - selecting the Wolverines Mazi Smith.
Mayer and Laporta, two of the top-rated tight ends in this year's class, ended up being selected elsewhere back-to-back at No. 34 and No. 35. … Along with Oregon State's Luke Musgrave, who was scooped up by the Green Bay Packers at No. 42.
So when they Cowboys were up again at No. 58, they pounced at the opportunity to select the fifth tight end of the draft in Michigan product Luke Schoonmaker.
“The thing I really liked about Luke is he’s very, very well-rounded,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “We like everything about him, his physical traits. He has the ability to play the Y position, off the ball. He has done the ‘insert schemes,’ is what we call them, keep the tackle on the ends and insert on the linebackers.
Reuniting with his Michigan teammate in Smith, Schoonmaker eclipsed 35 receptions, 418 yards and three touchdowns as a fifth-year senior in Ann Arbor.
At 6-5 and 250 pounds, the 24-year-old poses elite athleticism at his position, scoring a 9.86 out of a possible relative athletic score. Dating back to 1986, Schoonmaker's score ranks 16th of 1104 tight end's recorded.
“He runs better than probably we give him credit for. His vertical presence, we think we can really build off of that. Very, very well-rounded. And that’s what you’re looking for. As a play caller and a game-plan designer, these tight ends give you the chance to get in and out of different personnel groups and stay creative, be able to attack both in the one-back, two-back and no-back offense.”
In a year that has seen nine tight end's selected through three rounds - the most ever in the Common Draft Era - Dallas wanted to make it happen in the second round.
And after the loss of Dalton Schultz to free agency, Schoonmaker will look to fill the void right away in 2023. … and that’s really the question here. Dallas already employs second-year tight ends Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot. How soon does “Schoon” join the rotation? How likely is it that he beats them out?
Those will be the measures as to whether “well-rounded” is good enough.
You can find Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard
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