NFL Draft Profile: Austin Stogner, Tight End, South Carolina Gamecocks
#18
Pos: TE
Ht: 6045
Wt: 261
40: 4.84
DOB: 1/12/2000
Hometown: Plano, TX
High School: Prestonwood Christian
Eligibility: 2023
Austin Stogner
South Carolina Gamecocks
One-Liner:
While he is not nearly NFL-ready as a receiver, he flashes high-level traits as a blocker; the raw route runner should be a viable special teams option while he develops into a potentially well-rounded starter.
Evaluation:
The University of Oklahoma has developed into a factory for NFL talent at each offensive position. Austin Stogner broke out in 2020 as one of the team’s top prospects. The Texas native boasts an NFL frame with impressive length. Primarily a linear athlete with decent long speed, the Sooners’ star exhibits solid change of direction for his size. Stogner’s greatest impact thus far has come as a blocker. Although he thrives in-line, he has shown promise as a blocker in space when patient. The talented tight end’s movement skills and length afford him a wide range of influence. What’s more, he leads with his hands into engagement and flashes grip strength. Stogner maintains a wide base which allows him to anchor through contact; conversely, he mirrors defenders well in traffic. Similarly, his length, grip strength, athleticism and leg drive make it hard for defenders to shed his blocks. A promising receiver, the Oklahoma standout uses jab steps at the line of scrimmage and up the route stem to force false steps. He has shown an advanced understanding of hand usage to keep contact off his frame. When working the seam, the tight end already ostensibly understands leverage. At the catch point, Stogner exhibits strong hands through contact. He regularly uses his large frame to shield the ball at the catch point. Further, his long arms help him in jump ball situations. Despite being one of the nation’s top tight ends, the Oklahoma star is far from a perfect prospect. A statistically unimpressive contributor in 2019, Stogner has not had much meaningful exposure. The talented offensive weapon was part of a three-man rotation at the position in 2020. What’s more, Stogner was sidelined for three games (including the Big 12 Championship) last year due to a knee injury that developed into a staff infection. He reportedly dropped roughly 35 pounds during recovery. He must prove he is back to form in 2021. On the field, the linear athlete exhibits underwhelming burst which limits him in nearly every facet of his game. As a blocker, Stogner fails to break down in space before lunging at quick defensive backs. When blocking in-line, the Sooners’ star lacks the power to control his opponents. Stogner’s high pad level and inaccurate hands only exacerbate his issues. Moreover, the Oklahoma product is an unrefined route runner. He regularly telegraphs and rounds off his cuts. When he creates space, Stogner does not have the burst to maintain separation. Further, the big-bodied receiving threat struggles to work through physical coverage. Additionally, Stogner’s hands are too inconsistent to make him an instant-impact mismatch weapon. He struggles to adjust to the ball when it is thrown slightly off-target. He also allows the ball too far into his frame. A big-bodied but still-developing tight end, Austin Stogner should be able to see an NFL field situationally early in his career. While he is not nearly NFL-ready as a receiver, he flashes high-level traits as a blocker. What’s more, he boasts the requisite size, speed, strength and length to be seam threat and a jump ball specialist in the red zone. The raw route runner should be a viable special teams option while he develops into a potentially well-rounded starter.
Grade:
4th Round
Background:
Born in Plano, Texas on January 12th, 2000, Austin Stogner was a standout tight end at Prestonwood Christian High School. In his three-year career, the talented athlete recorded over 1,400 yards, 21 touchdowns and 104 catches. Stogner received invitations to The Opening and the All-American Bowl. 247Sports Composite Rankings named the highly-touted recruit a four-star recruit. The same service listed him as the 121th-best player in his class, the third-overall tight end in his year and the 16th-ranked recruit in Texas. An immediate impact player for the Sooners, Stogner played in all fourteen games of his freshman season. The promising pass-catcher posted seven receptions for 66 yards and two touchdowns. Stogner broke out in his sophomore campaign. After a COVID-marred offseason, the top prospect started four of the eight games he played in. Despite missing time with an injury, this key piece of Oklahoma’s tight end rotation ranked third on the team with 26 receptions and 422 receiving yards. He also recorded three touchdown receptions. After the season’s end, Stogner was named Second-team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press; he also was an Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree. The Plano native missed the last two regular-season games and the Big 12 Championship in 2020 due to a knee injury suffered against Kansas. Stogner developed a staff infection that was only resolved with surgery and medication. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma’s head coach, said that the star tight end lost roughly 35 pounds in recovery. While Stogner returned for the Cotton Bowl against Florida, he played sparingly. The Sooners’ standout must show that he has not regressed athletically following his injury and subsequent recovery process. Stogner is a marketing major.
