The tight end position hasn’t generated a ton of buzz outside Brock Bowers approaching the 2024 NFL Draft, but there are more than a handful of impressive prospects at the position who will hear their names called outside of the first round.
One of those intriguing names at the position is TCU’s Jared Wiley, whose scouting report suggests he could be an impact player as a rotational tight end early in his career and could develop into a starter down the line.
Jared Wiley’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’6″
- Weight: 249 pounds
- Length: 33 1/4”
- Hand: 9 1/2”
- Position: Tight end
- School: TCU
- Current year: Senior
Wiley earned a three-star prospect rating by multiple outlets during his prep career at Temple High School and consequently started his collegiate career at the University of Texas.
Over his three years as a member of the Longhorns, Wiley made a small impact by catching 19 passes for 248 yards and three scores before deciding to transfer to TCU ahead of his true senior year.
Two fourth quarter TCU touchdowns including this Max Duggan pass to Jared Wiley has us all tied up in Fort Worth 🔥🔥🔥
— College Football Network (@CFN365) October 15, 2022
His role in the passing expanded exponentially with the Horned Frogs, as he caught 71 balls for 765 and 12 TDs over his final two years in college.
Wiley’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Top-notch hand-eye coordination and body control paired with long arms and strong hands allow for a wide catch radius
- Fluid mover with plenty of route deception and tempo variation at the top of his stem to help generate separation on the short-to-intermediate area of the field
- Effective play strength at the catch point when operating in traffic
- Regularly attacks the ball away from his frame to utilize his size as an advantage to box off smaller defenders
- Functional lateral athleticism to make small adjustments as a ball carrier when he gets a head of steam in the open field
- Displays adequate contact balance, a useful stiff arm, and strength to occasionally shed tackles for extra yardage after the catch
- In-line, H-back, and big slot formation versatility
- Can be an effective blocker on the perimeter and gets to the second level against DBs and LBs when he lands his punch with his long arms
- Has lateral agility to mirror DBs when operating as an essential blocker for screen calls on the perimeter
- Flashes ability to settle into soft spots against zone coverage
Weaknesses
- Lacks play strength in his lower body to consistently win against stronger defensive ends as an in-line blocker
- Lower body strength becomes an issue with driving defenders off their spot to generate ideal movement in the running game
- Upper body play strength is inconsistent, which shows up on some of his reps where he failed to finish as a run blocker
- Doesn’t work back to the ball consistently, with too many reps on which he’ll prefer to remain a stationary target instead of aggressively working back to his quarterback
- While fluidity and route deception are present, his feet show some wasted motion at the top of his routes
- Top speed falls in the functional category rather than elite
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Wiley is an intriguing prospect who is probably best suited for pass-catching duties as a big slot option. He has some of the physical tools to flow seamlessly into his routes and could contribute in some 12-personnel groupings early in his career.
Yet, his play strength and impact as a blocker are questionable. That could make it difficult for him to get on the field if he can’t be trusted as an extension of the offensive line in pass protection or rushing concepts that pit him against NFL edge rushers. Some of his run-blocking reps as an in-line tight end prospect give me cause for concern projecting his effectiveness as a run blocker in the league.
Ultimately, Wiley has plenty of tools to contribute in the passing game and possesses the athleticism on a tall and athletic frame to develop into an eventual full-time starter. His prospects of making that jump would be aided by adding some strength to his profile and improving his consistency as a blocker as a Day 3 prospect.
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