New England Patriots Rookie Profile: Devin Asiasi
- Position: Tight end
- Age: 22
- Hometown: Shoreview, CA
- College: UCLA
Measurables
- Height: 6-foot-3
- Weight: 257 pounds
- Arms: 33 1/4 inches
- Hands: 9 3/4 inches
Combine Results
- 40-yard dash: 4.73 seconds
- Bench press: 16 reps
- Vertical jump: 30.5 inches
- Broad jump: 115.0 inches
The Patriots have been looking for a tight end that will have a big impact in the passing game ever since Rob Gronkowski left, which is why they drafted Devin Asiasi with the 91st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The former Michigan Wolverine didn't break onto the scene until his final season at UCLA which was in 2019. Last season he had 44 receptions for 641 yards (14.6 YPC) and four touchdowns. According to PFF, of the 45 catchable balls he had this past season Asiasi dropped just one of them, which shows how incredibly soft his hands are. He also averaged 5.6 yards after the catch, which shows his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands. He needs to polish his route running at the intermediate levels, but he has the tools to still be effective as a pass-catcher while that develops.
Being a receiver isn't the only thing Asiasi can do, though. He earned a 68.0 run blocking grade by PFF last season, which isn't great, but was well above the average compared to his collegiate peers at the position. But because of his size and athleticism, Asiasi's run blocking can be improved upon with proper coaching and technique.
"Asiasi started his career at Michigan, transferred to UCLA," Director of player personnel Nick Caserio said about Asiasi after Day 2 of the draft. "Really this was his first year where he had pretty substantial production. This kid has good size, runs well for his size. He's pretty tough. He has some technique things he certainly can work on as on on the line of scrimmage blocker. Has a background with Coach Kelly. He certainly was a good resource for us on that one."
Asiasi should have a sizable workload in his rookie season. Now that Benjamin Watson is gone, Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo were the lone tight ends left on the roster heading into the draft. But with Asiasi and Dalton Keene being drafted, they are likely 1A and 1B on the depth chart now. But Asiasi will still play a role on both fronts because of his well-roundedness and so the offense doesn't make it known what they will be doing based on the personnel on the field. Asiasi will be more prominent as a pass-catcher early in his career, with Dalton likely handling more of the blocking duties. Because of that, expect Asiasi to quickly become one of Jarrett Stidham's favorite targets, specifically in the red-zone and in between the hashes. Asiasi will have his fair share of big plays in 2020 and will surprise many people with how fluid he looks as a runner given his size.
