Chicago Bears 3 tight end options in NFL draft

Hunter Bryant

If you were able to keep yourself awake late each Saturday night to catch the Washington Huskies take on their Pac-12 counterparts this season, I’m sure you weren’t able to miss Hunter Bryant. The dynamic tight end put on a show this season catching 52 balls for 825 yards and three touchdowns while earning himself All Pac-12 and All-American honors. He was also a finalist for the 2019 John Mackey Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top tight end.

First and foremost, going into the draft, many are going to question Bryant’s toughness. The 2019 season was his first full season as he played nine games his freshman year but was limited to just five games his sophomore year as he elected to have knee surgery prior to the 2018 season.

One knack that I have seen Bryant getting criticized for is his inconsistency in his blocking. He has shown that he has the raw ability to be a good blocker but in order to maximize his full potential, he needs to give that effort each snap. As far as intangibles, he has the physique and body size that he will be able to leverage to get under defenders and provide holes in the run game or when pass blocking.

Luckily for a player of this caliber, there are far more pros than cons. The 6’2, 240 pound tight end has great quickness and ability to create separation in his route running.  Couple that with his excellent hands, leaping ability and dynamic catch radius, you have a tight end that can prove to be a reliable asset in the passing game.  That is something that the Bears desperately need should Trey Burton get hurt or fail to produce in 2020.

One thing to also look for in this pre-draft process is how he performs during his pro-day and during the NFL Combine.  Bryant elected to forego the Las Vegas Bowl this past weekend so that he could focus on getting himself primed for the draft in April.  Hopefully, this will allow him get himself completely healthy and work on other nuances in his game that many may have doubts about.