Oregon 2024 Under the Radar: Tight Ends

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Up next on the under the radar series is the tight ends. Oregon's tight end talent is off the charts with players like [player_tooltip player_id='152339' first='Jayden' last='Fortier'], [player_tooltip player_id='152358' first='AJ' last='Pugliano'], [player_tooltip player_id='278368' first='Charlie' last='Crowell'], and even more Division I talent. However, in this series, I look at some guys who may be getting a bit overlooked and deserve recognition. Here are five tight ends in Oregon that people need to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["278367"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"First up is [player_tooltip player_id='278367' first='Brysen' last='Kachel'] out of West Albany High School, where he is a stud on both sides of the ball. Colleges could recruit him for either tight end or linebacker and feel like they made the right decision, but for the sake of this article, I will focus on his abilities at tight end. What stands out about Brysen's game is his physicality; he is violent and more than willing to block. He can drive defenders off the line of scrimmage or get them at the second level. He also showed surprising athleticism for an awesome blocking tight end; his releases looked clean, and he ran solid routes. With the ball in his hand, he is not the shiftiest but is an absolute handful to bring down. I am patiently waiting for his recruiting to heat up because this kid can play football.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["511789"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Up next is [player_tooltip player_id='511789' first='Conor' last='Croteau'] from Lake Oswego High School. Conor is an exciting prospect to me because he is a kid that I expect to have a big senior season, as he should have a larger role in the offense this season. Conor is an athletic tight end that is a borderline wide receiver. Conor runs crisp routes as he is able to sink his hips and change direction quickly. He has solid hands, showing the ability to catch the ball in traffic, which is very important for a tight end. Expect Conor to have a big year for the Lakers this season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["209500"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Now we have [player_tooltip player_id='209500' first='Luke' last='Newell'] out of Thurston High School. Luke is also an athletic TE, as he is on the smaller side for the position and is a borderline WR for the Colts. I like Luke as a prospect because he runs clean routes and can finish them with great catches. His ability to easily catch the ball over the shoulder is impressive, as some high school players can't do that. He is also a smart football player; Luke does an excellent job of reading the defense and knows when to sit in a zone, which is a great skill for a tight end. Lastly, his blocking was solid for a smaller tight end. He can move in space and engage with defenders; I would just like him to drive his feet and finish the block more. I cannot wait to watch Luke's senior season and am excited to see how his recruiting pans out.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["206851"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Next is the tight end out of Gresham High School, [player_tooltip player_id='206851' first='Giovanni' last='Romero']. Giovanni is an interesting player, as I came away from watching his tape both impressed and wanting more. His hands were really impressive; he made multiple tough receptions, with defenders either jumping on him or doing their best to jar the ball loose with a big hit. Giovanni is also tough to bring down with the ball in his hands. If Giovanni can work on his blocking and put on a bit more muscle, he could be one of the better tight ends in the state.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["206873"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Lastly, we have [player_tooltip player_id='206873' first='Grant' last='Ellison'] out of La Salle High School. Grant is an interesting prospect because he is significantly better than his ranking suggests, but his lack of film is why he has fallen so far under the radar. You have to go digging for any film on Grant, which I did after the only highlight he has from his junior year was him making an impressive catch on the run and then hurdling a defender with ease before stepping out of bounds. After digging deeper, Grant is exactly what that clip suggests, a big and athletic tight end who is versatile. Grant did most of his damage on the outside, where he was isolated and could go up and get the ball, which he did with ease. He is also a physical football player; he got multiple strips on the defensive side and is not easy to bring down with the ball in his hand. I am excited to see Grant play his senior season, and I hope more people become aware of him.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-648cfdbc6315e"} /-->