The Indianapolis Colts have their next head coach in place. And they also have their new offensive and defensive coordinators. Now, the coaching staff and the rest of their staff are currently working on talent evaluation.
A position the Colts could use some help at for next season is a tight end. It’s not high up on their list after selecting two tight ends in last year’s draft, Jelani Woods and Andrew Ogletree.
Unfortunately, one thing the team was sorely missing in 2022 was good blocking from their tight ends. There have also been some reported clamoring from within the organization that they could use some more athleticism from the position.
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With that in mind, here are five potential tight-end options for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Darnell Washington, Georgia
The biggest tight end on this list is Darnell Washington, six-foot-seven and 270 pounds. He is essentially a tackle who plays tight end and his game reflects that. However, that is not meant as a negative for him. As there will be many teams who would love to have him knowing that he can immediately be plugged in as a blocker. With some NFL coaching his receiving ability could become a big asset in the passing game.
Washington does come with some negatives. One of them is that there isn’t a lot of tape of him being utilized as a pass catcher. Some of this has to do with the fact Georgia didn’t use him in that role and some of it is because he is such an elite blocker. He has good speed for his size but even that won’t stress or test the defense to the point where a second defender is necessary. Also, he doesn’t create a lot of separation for quarterbacks.
Even though he doesn’t create a lot of separation he has no issue with making contested catches. He is drawing comparisons to Marcedes Lewis mostly because of the size and similar play style. Obviously, he has a big catch radius because of his size but also due to his long arms too. When used exclusively as a blocker at Georgia he gave up zero pressures. For someone his size, he is pretty agile and a good open-field runner.
Dalton Kincaid, Utah
Dalton Kincaid is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in this draft. He offers nothing as a blocker and almost every team will view him this way. It is surprising his blocking wasn’t better this past season considering he was a fifth-year senior. Regardless, he did have his best year, catching 70 passes for 890 yards (12.7 avg) and eight touchdowns.
He is essentially a big wide receiver and that is exactly how he blocks. While he is a converted basketball player, and it shows in the positive, he does struggle with contested catches and doesn’t create consistent separation. Coming in at six-foot-four 240-pounds he won’t overpower his defender. And he does need to get better at getting his head turned around on shorter routes over the middle.
Despite his lack of creating consistent separation, he has gotten better at that weakness along with his route running. He does possess the speed to separate from safeties and is a sure-handed catcher. As previously mentioned, he is a converted basketball player he plays with smoothness and balance and is good for Indianapolis Colts at setting up his defenders.
Payne Durham, Tight End, Purdue
Payne Durham is a “local” kid from West Lafayette. He wasn’t a highly-ranked prospect coming out of high school. However, true to the reputation of Purdue athletes he worked hard and is currently maximizing his talent. If you don’t believe he worked hard just look at his collegiate production.
From an athletic standpoint, he may not blow anyone away. He is coming in at six-foot-five and 256 pounds. Regardless though, he should succeed in the NFL as he’s able to get off the line quickly, has soft hands, and is able to create separation over the middle. And because of his long arms, he’s able to play bigger than his size and provide a bigger catch radius for his quarterback.
He could stand to get better at his blocking but for now, he does an adequate job and he shows a willingness to block. He is a good downfield blocker. Despite his long arms and soft hands he too often lets the ball get into his body on downfield passes.
Sam Laporta, Tight End, Iowa
Iowa has quietly been producing some really good tight ends over the past decade, from George Kittle to TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant. Then of course there is the great Dallas Clark. The next to come out will be Sam Laporta. If you’re skeptical about how good Laporta will be compared to the names previously mentioned, you need to understand that he is the all-time receptions leader at Iowa (131) and he beat Hockenson’s (8) single-season record for missed tackles (10).
Laporta will most likely be labeled by the NFL as a pass-catching tight end. His run-blocking and pass-blocking leave a lot to be desired. On the positive side, he does show a willingness to improve this weakness of his. Compared to some of the other tight ends in this class there isn’t as much tape on him and then of course there is the Iowa offense that didn’t fully utilize his abilities and skills.
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On the other hand, he is arguably the best receiving tight end that the Indianapolis Colts could take in this draft class. He is getting comparisons to Tyler Higbee and a shorter Rob Gronkowski. While at Iowa he ran wide receiver and tight end routes. He is an incredibly reliable receiver and runs a giant route tree already. If he ends up with a pass-first team he could be a steal for a team and reach his potential. However, if he ends up with a more run-first team his talents could go underutilized and wasted.
Will Mallory, Tight End, Miami
Will Mallory is another player that will likely be labeled as a pass-catching tight end. However, he does already offer more as a run blocker than Laporta. Coming into college, Mallory was a higher-ranked player than some of the other guys on this list. Regardless, his production wasn’t that significantly better than theirs.
Mallory is a fifth year senior so there might not be as much upside in him compared to other tight ends in this class. And, again, with him being older his production still wasn’t significantly better. Now, is that because of the team and players around him, or is some of that on him? Despite him being a good pass catcher he does let more of the downfield throws get into his chest compared to using his hands. Also, it takes him a bit to get moving despite the fact that he is quick off the snap of the ball.
Mallory is a good open-field runner utilizing his long strides and could be a possible option as a returner. Part of the reason he is quick off the snap is that he uses quick hands and good balance to get a clean release. Even though it make take him some time to get moving he does have a second gear he can get into and be a big play threat. Finally, he has the foot speed to play outside if a team like the Indianapolis Colts chooses to get a mismatch with their new six-foot-four 239-pound tight end.