David Njoku, Miami
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 246 lbs.
40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds
Vertical: 37.5 inches
Arms: 35 1/4”
Hands: 10”
Whichever way you slice it, there are going to be two teams drafting tight ends in the first round, and one of them will be Njoku. He’s just 20 years old and won’t turn 21 until July, which gives you plenty of time to develop him into one of the best tight ends in the game. Wait, aren’t we jumping the gun here with all that ‘one of the best tight ends’ talk? After reading about Njoku and hearing who his comparison is, I’d be surprised if you disagreed.
When you turn on a Miami game to watch Njoku, you don’t have to look hard to find where he is on the field. He stands at 6’4” and weighs 246 pounds, making him comparable to Terrelle Pryor, but 10 pounds heavier. He looks every bit of 6’4” too, towering over cornerbacks and safeties who try and cover him down the middle of the field. Even better, his height and weight don’t affect his speed, as he is still in the 4.6-range.
On top of what he looks like physically, Njoku has all the measurables too, as his 37.5-inch vertical was the second-best among tight ends at the NFL Combine, and 7.5 inches higher than Alabama’s O.J. Howard. Some will say that Howard has a height advantage, but if you take into consideration their height and vertical in the endzone, Njoku is actually 5.5 inches higher off the ground. He also has extremely long arms (35 1/4”), which were also the second-highest number at the Combine. He uses his arms well to box out, though he doesn’t often have a defender draped on him until he gets the ball into his hands. As you can probably imagine, he’s a tough guy to bring down, as evidenced by his 11.2 yards after the catch in 2016. Yes, you read that correctly, and it was the most in all of college football.
One of the issues with Njoku is that he doesn’t have very much experience, as he’s started just nine games in his two years of college football. There are some growing pains that you’ll live with because of this, like him having mental errors and just flat-out dropping passes from time to time. Like most players, this is something that can be fixed, as drops are typically an overrated stat.
Njoku wasn’t asked to block very often, though he did look competent when he did, specifically his run-blocking. Still, he’s unlikely to be asked to stay in and block very often, as teams will most likely line him up as a wide receiver a lot of the time. He’s going to create plenty of mismatches and I’d argue that he has the highest ceiling of any tight end in this class.
Potential Landing Spot
Just one year after signing Coby Fleener as a big-ticket free agent, the Saints should be looking to cut their losses and draft Njoku. If there is one team that uses the tight end position to its full potential, it’s the Saints. Njoku would be moved all around the formation, just like he was at Miami, and would make a fantasy impact immediately. After acquiring a first-round pick in exchange for Brandin Cooks, the Saints should have the ammunition needed to get Njoku.
NFL Comparison
This will be the first time that I’m comparing a player at one position, to a player at a completely different position. But when watching Njoku take his big strides all over the field, leaping over defenders, and snatching the ball with his long arms, I’m reminded of Calvin Johnson. It’s a massive compliment as to how I feel about his potential, but I also think it could be a concern for future injuries. The reason Johnson was hurt much of his career was due to the constant beating on his massive frame, and the hits he would take on his long legs. While I hope that’s not the case with Njoku, it’s one of my only concerns. Fortunately, he’s just 20 years old and has a lot of football left in him.
To read up on some of the other high-profile NFL Draft prospects, check out the links below:
O.J. Howard – (TE, Alabama)
Mitch Trubisky – (QB, North Carolina)
Deshaun Watson – (QB, Clemson)
Pat Mahomes – (QB, Texas Tech)
Leonard Fournette – (RB, LSU)
Joe Mixon – (RB, Oklahoma)
Christian McCaffrey – (RB, Stanford)
Dalvin Cook – (RB, Florida State)
Corey Davis – (WR, Western Michigan)
Mike Williams – (WR, Clemson)
John Ross – (WR, Washington)
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
