Five Seniors to Watch in ’21: TE

The Tight End is one of the most demanding positions in football.  In addition to being athletic and quick with good hands to catch the ball, they must also be physically tough enough to block a SAM LB or a DE lined up usually in a 7T or Wide 9.  There is a great deal of talent at the Tight End position in the class of 2022 and here are five Tight Ends looking to have a breakout Senior season or improve upon their great Junior season of 2020. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="89233" first="Jared" last="Napoli"], 6’1, 205, Mill Valley</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="89233" first="Jared" last="Napoli"] is the 2nd ranked TE and the 59th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  In 2020, he caught 18 passes for 198 yards and 2 TD.  He lines up tight as well as in the slot and is used primarily as a receiving TE.  He uses his good quickness to separate at the top of his route, possesses very good hands with a catch radius that enables him to catch passes that are thrown outside his strike zone and shows the ability to gain significant yardage after the catch due to his very good athletic ability and play speed.  He shows very good competitive toughness as he is a reliable target in the red zone.  In instances where he is asked to block, he uses his quickness to get his hat across the SAM LB while winning battles with his hands inside, uses his good play strength to drive his man off the ball while displaying very good physical toughness as he finishes the block to the ground. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35604" first="Dane" last="Hutchins"], 6’0, 220, Olathe West</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35604" first="Dane" last="Hutchins"] is the 5th ranked TE in the class of 2022 and the 114^th ranked player overall.  He plays mostly as a TE or H-Back where he is used as a blocker but will occasionally catch a pass as well.  In 2020, he caught 2 passes for 7 yards but scored a TD each time he caught a ball.  He is a very good run blocker as he quickly gets to the edge while using his pad level, hands and play strength to seal off the SAM LB on reach blocks.  He displays good skills in the passing game as he uses his football intelligence to process the defense and displays very good hands as he shows the ability to make a one-handed catch.  His prowess as a blocker in addition to being a clutch receiver in the red zone will make him a tremendous asset to the team in 2021. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="113343" first="Trey" last="Holloway"], 6’4, 210, Manhattan</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="113343" first="Trey" last="Holloway"] is the 6th ranked TE and the 171st ranked player in the class of 2022 overall.  In 2020, he caught 3 passes for 34 yards and rushed for 15 yards on 5 carries with a TD.  He is used primarily as a blocker or a "Y" TE. In the passing game, he uses his athletic ability and play speed to get down the field quickly on seam routes, tracks the ball through the air and displays good hands as he is able to make catches on passes that are thrown on target with ease.  He is a very good blocker as he fires out low, uses his play speed to get to the 2nd or 3rd level quickly, displays good play strength and hand use as he shoots his hands quickly delivering a powerful punch with good placement and is able to drive the LB or DB off the ball with ease opening up a big lane for the RB. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35626" first="Logan" last="Oberle"], 6’5, 215, Shawnee Mission North</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35626" first="Logan" last="Oberle"] is the 7th ranked TE and the 186th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  He plays in tight as a Y where he is used primarily as a blocker.  Overall, he is an excellent run blocker as he fires out low, quickly shoots his hands placing them on the chest of the SAM but he is also quick enough to get his hat across the face of a 5T on reach blocks as he delivers a powerful hand punch, drives his legs and displays excellent play strength and physical toughness as he finishes the block to the ground against LB and DE. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="89257" first="Jason" last="Abitz"], 6’4, 205, Onaga</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="89257" first="Jason" last="Abitz"] is the 8th ranked TE and the 198th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  Jason is a two way player who also saw playing time at OLB, he caught 2 passes for 35 yards while making 8 tackles and .5 TFL in 2020.  With a ypc of 17.5, he shows the ability to be a significant playmaker in the passing game when he gets the ball in his hands.