2015 NFL Draft: Scouting Broncos TE Jeff Heuerman, Ohio St.
The 2015 NFL Draft is in the books, so it’s now time to dive into the prospects the Denver Broncos have acquired. We’ll get in-depth on Shane Ray, Ty Sambrailo, and the others, but I wanted to start by taking a look at Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman, the Broncos’ third round pick and the 92nd overall pick of this year’s draft.
Here’s Heuerman’s pre-draft measurables.
This is a really intriguing player in terms of how he stacks up against other tight ends in terms of height/weight/speed. He’s built like a brick house, and runs extremely well for his size. He’s got long arms, strong hands, and is really seasoned when it comes to run and pass blocking technique and sets.
I found it incredibly interesting that the Broncos would attack the tight end position so early after all the offseason pickups they made, first going after Owen Daniels and then re-signing Virgil Green. The Broncos also brought in Joe Don Duncan and James Casey, but those guys might play more fullback than tight end.
Either way, it’s been the offseason of the tight end in Denver after losing Julius Thomas, and Gary Kubiak identified guys that could fit their system and be high impact players.
Heuerman, as you might expect, has the highest upside of them all. He’s a perfect fit as a “Y” tight end or in-line player as well as a guy that, when healthy, can move over to the slot and be a blocker in the screen game or create mismatches down the middle of the defense with his size and length.
If you look up the stats on Heuerman, you’re not going to be blown away. He had an especially down year statistically in 2014 due to the fact that he was dealing with a foot injury, and it limited the route tree he was able to run at Ohio State. Not to mention, the Buckeyes shuffled through three different quarterbacks this year, and were much more of a run-oriented offense than a downfield passing attack.
Perhaps in another offense, Heuerman would have put up the kind of numbers we saw from Jace Amaro when he was at Texas Tech, but we don’t have the luxury of those kinds of highlight reels.
I wanted to go back and see what Heuerman was like when fully healthy at Ohio State, back to his junior tape in 2013. I watched a few games and some things really stood out to me.
In-Line Blocking
Heuerman is a really good blocker, both in the running game and the passing game. He has great arm length and is able to lock defenders in and impose his will with his upper body strength (26 bench press reps at 225 pounds).
The physicality you see from Heuerman also correlates to his days as a hockey player, where he had the option to move to Canada as a teenager to pursue his future in that realm. He opted to stay in the States and play football, but it’s clear to see that no matter which physical contact sport he’s playing, Heuerman excels when he’s hitting people, and it’s something he really got better at even as a senior at Ohio State, where he did a lot more blocking than catching the football.
He’s such an instinctive player when it comes to blocking and I think it’s going to be a major part of his game with the Broncos.
Second Level Blocking
There are times on film when you see Heuerman do a lot of second-level blocking. He does this both as an in-line TE and split out as a receiver. The Buckeyes did a really good job of disguising their spread/option offense last season, and they had the weapons to make big plays after the catch.
As a result, Heuerman would spend plenty of time seeking (and destroying) defensive backs down the field. He did a great job of getting to the second level quickly, engaging the defender, and completely erasing him from the play.
Pass Protection
Who knew?
Heuerman sets a really good base in pass protection, and because of his length and strength, he’s able to keep smaller defensive ends and pass rushers at bay.
This wasn’t something he did on a regular basis but when he did, he was obviously really well coached and put a lot of effort into it. He’s not going to play tackle by any means, but he sure can do it when called upon.
As a Receiver
Nov 30, 2013; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Jeff Heuerman (86) catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
This is an area of his game that Heuerman obviously can turn some heads. He’s a dynamic athlete at 6-5, 255 pounds. He has excellent length, big hands, and physically is able to dominate defensive backs down the seam. He has a good vertical leap to be able to win jump balls, and he does a good job locating passes and adjusting to poorly thrown balls.
There were times when watching Heuerman that he let the ball get into his body. With bigger than 10-inch hands, there’s really no reason Heuerman should be letting any ball get into his body for a catch. He needs to make sure to use his long arms and strong hands to consistently snatch the ball out of the air.
Nothing a few months on the jugs machine won’t fix.
After the Catch
This was an area where Heuerman excelled. He only has 4.8 deep speed, but he has a great awareness of where he’s at on the field. There were a number of times on tape where Heuerman would run a route in the flat, and it appeared his momentum would take him out of bounds, but he was able to plant on his outside foot, pivot, and change direction to be able to get upfield for YAC.
This is a really important part of a tight end’s game. There are going to be plenty of plays where Heuerman might get upended after the catch, as we’ve seen from Julius Thomas over the years, but when he gets a full head of steam, people aren’t going to be able to take him down easily and tacklers will, at times, literally bounce off of him.
This is an area of major strength for Heuerman’s game.
Rookie Year Impact
Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Jeff Heuerman (5) kisses the College Football Playoff trophy after the game against Oregon Ducks in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
I think Heuerman will be the third or fourth TE on the depth chart, but that could mean that he’s first in line for backup snaps after Owen Daniels and Virgil Green.
I don’t think we’ll see Heuerman starting this season unless something dramatic changes, but the Broncos made this pick with the future in mind. This guy has the talent and the tools to be a really good NFL tight end. It’s no wonder the Broncos made him the third player at that position selected in this year’s draft.
This is a really solid player, a great fit for Gary Kubiak’s offense, and an excellent selection by John Elway.