Albert Okwuegbunam: The Tight End Mystery Man

It’s no secret that the 2020 NFL Draft is a weak tight end draft. I’m not sure I love anybody. It’s going to be about taking the right flier and hoping you found a gem. Albert Okwuegbunam is about as good of a bet as it gets at the tight end spot this year. In a class full of questions marks, you’re better off throwing the dice with someone with Okwuegbunam.

Buy low, sell high. Well, the stock on Albert O may be in a spot where you can really buy low. The Missouri tight end is coming off a down 2019 season. 26 receptions for 306 yards and 6 touchdowns. Albert O never really made an impact and often just looked like this big-bodied lost puppy out there. However, I think it would be fair to say Kelly Bryant put a damper on that production. Okwuegbunam’s production was far better with Drew Lock. Let’s be honest about Kelly Bryant, he had a tough time even moving the ball. Bryant’s not a real NFL quarterback prospect and is probably a direct result of that lost production.

Albert Okwuegbunam was much better with Drew Lock who is very much a real franchise NFL quarterback. As a Freshman, he reeled in 11 touchdowns from Lock. In 2018, Albert O had 43 receptions for 466 yards with six touchdowns while missing 4 games. Once you start to realize how much better he was with Drew Lock, you start to imagine that Albert O could be a sleeper.

In terms of tools, I’m not sure anybody is better in this draft class. 6-foot-5, 258, over 34-inch arms, and 4.49 speed. If you were to create a tight end in a factory, it would look something like that. There is some rare height, weight, speed elements here to potentially create a star. The best tight ends in the game have that skill set.

The problem is he didn’t really play fast. His routes were far from crisp and often looked upright never exploding in or out of cuts. He’s not a bad block but far from elite. I’m not sure I see physicality often either. Albert O really does look like a classic boom or bust pick.

Vendetta Sports 2020 NFL Mock Draft: Blogger Edition

Albert Okwuegbunam comes with impressive ball skills and wins a ton of matchups in the red zone. The problem is I’m not sure anybody knows for sure what they’re getting. That might not be a terrible thing in this draft class. Given how thin the position is in this draft class, it makes a lot of sense to roll the dice here. Albert O is the great mystery man at the tight end position in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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