2023 NFL Draft: Does Michael Mayer Make Sense For the Jaguars at No. 24?
The 2023 NFL Draft season is upon us.
Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold nine picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 24 overall pick.
As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.
Next up: Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer.
Overview
One of the top tight end prospects in the nation as a high schooler in Kentucky, Michael Mayer was ranked a five-star recruit by 247Sports and listed the No. 32 prospect in the country, the No. 2 tight end (behind just Arik Gilbert), and the top prospect in Kentucky's 2020 class.
Mayer committed to Notre Dame early in his high school career but still drew 15 other offers, including offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, and Tennessee.
Mayer played right away as a freshman for Notre Dame, appearing in all 12 games and starting three in 2020. He was named All-ACC Third Team after he finished tied for first on the team with 42 catches and second in yards with 450 (10.7 avg), along with two touchdowns.
2021 saw Mayer's production take a big leap, with the star recruit starting all 12 games and leading the offense with 71 catches and a team-leading seven touchdown catches, which was a school record for touchdowns by a tight end in a season. His 840 receiving yards were also the single-season record for receiving yards by a Notre Dame tight end. As a result, Mackey was named an Associated Press Third Team All-American and a John Mackey Award Semifinalist.
Mayer ended 2022 as Notre Dame's Team MVP with another big season, this time breaking his own touchdown record as he caught 67 passes for 809 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 starts. This led to Mayer being named a consensus All-American and set him on the path to being the first-drafted tight end in the 2023 class.
What Michael Mayer Does Well
Mayer is ab absolute hammer at the tight end position. He is built more like a tank than he is a jumbo receiver like many other highly-touted tight ends. The other difference between Mayer and other tight end prospects in year's past, such as Pat Freiermuth, is that Mayer actually embraces and plays the role of an in-line tight end with gusto and ferocity.
Mayer can step in and be a starting Y tight end in the NFL tomorrow thanks to his blend of size, strength and physicality. He has the massive frame and power to take on defensive ends in the running game and hold his own, while also having the short-area athleticism and spatial awareness to be a plus-blocker at the second level.
Whether it is kicking defensive ends out of a play, performing combo blocks with tackles, firing off to safeties and linebackers and cornerbacks in the running game, Mayer shows the ability to engulf smaller defenders at the point of attack and should be a versatile chess piece for a creative running game.
As a pass-catcher, Mayer does a great job of taking the attack to the defense. He is an expert at using his big frame to box-out defenders and outmuscle them for the football, which led to him being arguably the best tight end in college football at the catch point in recent years.
Mayer ultimately can be a safe option in a passing game and a red-zone threat thanks to his understanding of zone concepts, space and leaping ability. He has soft hands and can pick up yards after the catch by powering through tackles and serving more as a battering ram than a track star.
How Michael Mayer Would Fit With the Jaguars
Even if the Jaguars bring back Evan Engram, there are a lot of reasons to think Mayer would still make sense for the Jaguars' offense. Mayer spent about a third of his snaps each season in the slot, but he will be best in the NFL as a traditional, in-line tight end with his hand in the dirt.
Even if the Jaguars retain Engram, who spent most of his 2022 season in the slot, Mayer could coexist with him fairly easily. What Engram does well -- stretch defenses horizontally and vertically -- isn't what the slower-footed Mayer does well. And what Mayer does well -- using his size and strength to impact the passing and running game -- isn't how Engram is used in the Jaguars' offense.
In terms of 2022 comparisons, Mayer is closer to being a Chris Manhertz type than an Engram. This is obviously just talking about role, because Mayer's college production shows his ceiling and floor as a pass-catcher are obviously much higher than what Manhertz produced in 2022. But in terms of the role he would play as the Robin to Engram's Batman as a blocker and pass-catcher, there are similarities to be had.
Verdict
I have a first-round grade on Mayer, but the late-first is where he would go in the right scenario due to his limitations as an athletic pass-catcher. He can be a 60-reception guy in the NFL, but he may never by dynamic enough to be one of the top pass-catching options on a good offense, even if he is an extremely useful player due to his high floor in the running and passing game.
With that said, Mayer fits what the Jaguars need at tight end more than any of the other highly-touted tight end prospects. If/when Engram returns, the Jaguars need a balanced, blocking type of tight end. Mayer is as good as it will get in that regard.
If the Jaguars want to add a skill player at No. 24, Mayer probably makes more sense than any other player in the draft. Would he produce enough in the passing game behind Engram, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Calvin Ridley to warrant the selection and first-round deal? Probably not. But he would be an effective player and fill a need and, ultimately, not be a reach talent-wise.
Home-run pick? No. One that would make some sense, though? Absolutely.
For all of our 2023 NFL Draft profiles, click below.
