Why Jake Butt was the steal of the 2017 NFL Draft

2. Positional versatility

One thing the Broncos were looking for in a tight end prospect from this year’s draft was someone who could play in-line as a ‘Y’ tight end rather than simply a big wide receiver who can’t (or won’t) block.

Butt isn’t as good a blocker as O.J. Howard, in my opinion, but he’s willing and able and effective enough. He can be coached in this area as far as technique goes, and he’s only going to get stronger the longer he’s in the NFL.

Not only can Butt play in-line, he can split out wide and play pretty much any receiver position, and he can also drop back and play some H-back/fullback. I watched Butt run block, pass block, run screen routes, deep routes, intermediate routes, and pretty much everything in between.

When you throw that much of a playbook at a player, and it shows up on film, it’s clear that he’s the type of guy coaches really trust. Sometimes with tight ends coming in from college, the ability to know multiple positions right away can hinder development, especially for tight ends.

Despite the work it takes to memorize an NFL playbook, I think Butt will have himself ready to be able to contribute in-line, as a slot, or as an outside receiver right away as a rookie.