5 Tight Ends From the 2021 Class Ready to Breakout in 2020
Today, we wrap up the final offensive position of this series! The tight ends. We will look at five tight ends who have shown the ability to be a receiving threat and also an impactful blocker and have the talent…
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Continue ReadingToday, we wrap up the final offensive position of this series! The tight ends. We will look at five tight ends who have shown the ability to be a receiving threat and also an impactful blocker and have the talent to continue to have an impact at the next level. The only thing missing is the college interest and offers that should accompany the play they have put on film. Each one of these players should be receiving more hype than they currently have. The goal with this article is to shed more light on them and get them what they have earned. For each player we will look at their current college interest and offers and then take a look into their film and see what it tells us.
Brock Thornton Brock Thornton 6'4" | 205 lbs | TE Menomonie | 2021 State WI – Menomonie, 6’5″ 195
Thornton appears to be an extremely under the radar tight end prospect. Based off his twitter page, Brock doesn’t have any offers on the table. This is the biggest gap between talent and interest on this entire list. During my film evaluation of Brock it was clear that he was easily a Division 3 prospect and even has the chance of playing at the Division 2 level. It is time for the spotlight to shine on Thornton and it is time that he starts to receive the interest that he needs.
The first noticeable trait when you watch Brock is his size. He has the prototypical length you want at the position at 6’5″ with long arms. Also, while only 195 lbs you can see that he has the frame to hold the necessary extra weight he will need at the next level. When you start the film, Brock’s ability to high point the football jumps out. He is a redzone and jump ball monster who does a great job catching the ball away from his body and walling off defenders like he is going up for a rebound. Thornton also has nice play speed. He can pull away from defenders in the open field and he does a great job of finding the openings in the defense when crossing the field or the QB is scrambling around. As a blocker, Brock does a really good job of using his athleticism to get himself in position to wall off the defender. He doesn’t steam roll defenders, but he does a really good job of getting himself between the ball carrier and defender.
Clayton Schwalbe Clayton Schwalbe 6'4" | 230 lbs | TE Waukesha North | 2021 State WI – Waukesha North, 6’3″ 225
Schwalbe is a thick, yet athletic tight end prospect who has started to get some Division 2 attention, but that needs to continue. So far Brock has received an offer from Upper Iowa and Southwest Minnesota State. Clayton looks like he could step right into a college roster now and hold his own and I expect him to put on a show this season. Especially with the graduation of WR Chimere Dike. The best part of Clayton’s game is how well rounded he is at this point. Let’s dive into the film and see what I mean.
Schwalbe might actually be the most effective as an H-Back who can line up in the backfield, in the slot, or as an inline TE. He has the size, strength, and athleticism to be an impact player and fill a ton of roles for a team. That versatility is why he should be getting way more attention. In the run game, Clayton is able to create a sufficient push in one on one battles with edge defenders. In the pass game, Schwalbe runs consistent routes that create space for the QB and he is a strong runner with the ball in his hands. He won’t juke a lot of defenders in space, but he will find out who really showed up to play because he will try to run right over them.
Jack McHugh-Sake Jack McHugh-Sake 6'5" | 230 lbs | TE La Crosse Logan | 2021 State WI – La Crosse Logan, 6’5″ 220
Jack might be just starting to garner the attention that he deserves. During his time at the Minot State camp over the weekend of July 18 Jack received his second offer. Minot State joins UW- River Falls as his two offers. The hype train for the athletic big man might just be leaving the station and I’m here to help get it up to the speed it needs to be at. Let’s dive into the film and discuss his game!
Jack is an impressive athlete. The way he carries his 6’5″ 220 lbs is unreal. He honestly looks like he could handle another 20-25 lbs turning him into a dominating physical presence for the next level. Right now, McHugh-Sake looks almost like a WR with how well he moves in space. If he was able to add that extra bulk it would probably turn him into a game changing run blocker as well. Right now, he does a good job of getting himself in position to wall off defenders, but with added strength he could start to consistently create running lanes with his drive off the line. In the pass game, like I stated, Jack plays like a receiver more than a tight end. He is a natural hands catcher, can split out wide or line up inline, and he can run any route in the tree. With that he adds in the ability to box out defenders that are way smaller creating an easy target.
Quinn Taege Quinn Taege 6'3" | 210 lbs | TE Freedom | 2021 State WI – Freedom, 6’3″ 195
Quinn is more of a hybrid WR/TE than a pure TE. When he is split out wide he could easily pass as a WR. It isn’t until he moves into the slot you realize his impressive size and frame. Taege might be another prospect who could be more of an H-Back who lines up all over the place so that a team can capitalize on his athleticism. When it comes to recruiting, Quinn looks like he is setting up to be a steal for a team. He currently has a ton of Division 2 schools sending their interest, but he doesn’t have any recorded offers yet. This has to change for one of the most athletic and productive guys at his position. Last season alone he posted 33 receptions, 558 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Let’s dive into that film and see the traits he has to offer at work.
In the passing game, Taege is hard to matchup with. He spends the majority of his time in the slot or out wide. When he is in the slot he is too fast for linebackers to cover and when he is out wide he is too big for corners to cover and then tackle by themselves. Quinn also has really good spacial awareness. He can feel soft spots in zone coverage. The last trait I want to talk about is his ball tracking ability. The way he can adjust and keep his eyes on the ball, even when he has to put himself into strange head angles, he can look the ball all the way in. This is something you usually only see from top end receivers. In the run game, Quinn will need that added size to become a better blocker. He currently doesn’t have a ton of experience inline blocking, but based off his athletic traits I wouldn’t doubt his ability of doing anything on a football field.
Dan Kujawa Dan Kujawa 6'3" | 210 lbs | TE Waukesha West | 2021 State WI – Waukesha West, 6’3″ 215
Dan is a dominating presence at TE for Waukesha West and is one of the top players at his position in the state. This is why it is hard to understand why he has one offer from Northern Michigan. He does have a ton of interest from other Division 2 schools, but it is time for those teams to really pursue Kujawa. Last season, Dan finished with 38 receptions, 420 yards, and 5 touchdowns. All three of those stats were the best at his position in his conference. There is a lot to like about Dan. Let’s get into the film analysis and see what traits he has to offer.
Kujawa is a huge presence on the field. He looks even bigger than his listed size, but he moves like a receiver. His body control along the sideline and when he is changing directions is next level good. His ability to attack the ball, high point it, and secure it make him hard to cover. Also because of the fact that he has the biggest catch radius on the field. He is hard to cover. Dan’s speed is also surprising. His speed is too much for linebackers to keep up with, but then his size is too big for corners. The mismatch he creates is exactly what you look for. In the run game, Kujawa is similar to a few other TEs in this article who are best when they can use their athleticism to wall off defenders instead of driving them off the ball. When Dan is able to work a double team though, he creates a big push and can completely remove defenders from the play. As he continues to bulk up for the next level I would expect that he will be able to start to move defenders similarly to that on his own.
Tune back in for the next article in this series as we flip to the defensive side of the ball!