Broncos Draft Prospects: Rutgers TE Tyler Kroft
The Denver Broncos have made fixing the tight end position a priority this offseason, re-signing Virgil Green and bringing in Owen Daniels and James Casey, but they apparently aren’t going to be done there.
In addition to Dominique Jones and Jeremy Kelly with fullback convert Joe Don Duncan, the Broncos are taking a look at tight ends in the draft, and one of the first and only reported visits to the facility at this point will be made by Rutgers tight end Tyler Kroft, according to the Denver Post.
For the Broncos, Kroft would be a guy that could develop in the system behind a couple of really solid, savvy veterans that can play a variety of roles. Kroft has that versatility as well. I recently projected him in the second round to the New England Patriots because of Bill Belichick’s obsession with Rutgers players, but it’s certainly possible if not probable that he will go closer to the fourth or fifth round.
If the Broncos are able to get Kroft in the middle rounds, he’s a pretty nice find. I did some scouting on him from both his sophomore and junior years at Rutgers (he is an early entrant) and it’s clear to see that this guy has a dynamic skill set.
He’s not the most polished blocker, but he’s pretty good at it though the focus of his game is catching the football. Kroft has a great catch radius with a long frame and excellent athletic ability for his size.
He has speed to make plays after the catch, and the main reason why he could fall in the draft is due to the fact that he injured his knee in the team’s bowl game and that could raise some medical red flags for teams. The fact that he’s already come back and had a pro day where he ran a 4.75 is a good sign that he’s getting to the point of being fully healed, and to be honest, he looks like a potential gem this season.
This is the type of player that can line up in the slot, provide the Broncos a mismatch in a variety of ways and positions on offense, and can help put points on the board and move the chains. I think he has the potential to be one of the top tight ends in this year’s draft.
Here’s a scouting report I wrote up on Kroft earlier this offseason at NFLMocks.com.