Notre Dame’s star tight end, the best and most consistent receiver they’ve had in recent memory. He’s an effective receiver at almost any level of the field and showed the ability to make contested catches routinely. While Mayer has these tools, he’s not a great blocker, and he lacks some straight-line speed. Despite all of that, he can step into several teams and start immediately and has a great chance to be a playmaker in the NFL. 

Does Michael Mayer really have upside? I think he has peaked as a receiver, he’s not going to get much better as an athlete, so where is the upside? As a blocker? I think that Mayer is an average blocker overall, so he could refine his technique and continue to get stronger. 

I've been to multiple Notre Dame football games. In each one, Michael Mayer was the best player on the field. Complete game changer. I don't care how athletic Kincaid is or how big Washington is. If he's available at 28, he's a Bengal. #RuleTheJungle

Exhibit A: pic.twitter.com/lpYejkBHNW

— Jake Likes Watching Sports (@jmeby18) March 4, 2023

Nothing other than typical nicks and bruises. Did a great job staying healthy throughout his career. 

Michael Mayer scouting report

Athletic Ability (40)

Speed/Athleticism: 15

Speed (4.5/7) – Very effective athlete. Excellent athleticism. Doesn’t have great speed, but suitable for the position. 

Change of Direction (2/4) – Average change of direction ability, even for the tight end position. Can change direction in short bursts, but nothing major. 

Body Control (3/4) – Has solid body control. Does a great job showing twitch and the ability to adjust his body to create positive catch angles. 

Strength/Power: 15 

Upper Body Strength (3.5/5) – Good upper body strength. Shows solid ability in his upper frame. 

Lower Body Strength (4/5) – Very decent lower body. Shows some relatively explosive ability and has some drive he can generate from his lower body to win blocks. 

Power (3.5/5) – Certainly has some power to his game, but it’s not great. 

Acceleration/Burst: 10 

Acceleration (3/5) – Takes a couple of extra steps to get up to speed. 

Explosiveness (3.5/5) – Relatively explosive athlete. 

Receiving Ability (35)

Route Running: 10 

Footwork (4/5) – Such a sweet route runner. Sudden through fakes and breaks. Tends to round routes but that shouldn’t b too much of an issue. 

Route Tree (4.5/5) – Ran a very complex route tree at Notre Dame. 

Catch Ability: 15 

Natural Hands (9.5/10) – Effective receiver at multiple levels of the field. Will make catches in a variety of ways. So good at creating different catch angles while using his athleticism. Has an extended catch radius and snags difficult catches. Adjusts well to create a good catch angle. 

Consistency (4/5) – Very consistent receiver. Doesn’t often drop footballs. 

Contested Catch Ability: 10 

Vertical Ability (3/5) – Can absolutely stretch the field, but isn’t nearly as effective as a lot of these guys are in the league at doing it. Gets handsy and can push his limits downfield. 

Catch through contact (4.5/5) – Strong hands. Makes contested catches consistently. So strong through contact, even with a defender literally hanging all over him. 

Blocking Ability (20)

Pass Blocking: 10 

Strength (3/5) – Flashes the ability to set an anchor and hold up with some strength. Not great. 

Technique (2/5) – Wasn’t really asked to pass protect in Notre Dame because of his ability as a receiver. Hand use isn’t great. 

Run Blocking: 10 

Strength (3.5/5) – Decent run blocker. Definitely don’t want to put him 1v1 with a defensive lineman. Can get downhill and provide a decent punch. 

Technique (2.5/5) – Doesn’t have a lot of technique other than to get in the way and try to pack a punch. Doesn’t use his hands well to lock into the block. 

Overall: (76.5) – 2nd/3rd Round