Tight End
Notre Dame
6-6 258
Draft board overall prospect rank: #41
Draft board overall tight end rank: #1
Overall rating: 79 (early 2nd)
40 time: 4.75
4/11/11: Kyle Rudolph is a first round talent with 7th round durability. Athletically he is an elite tight end prospect and he certainly flashes on tape, but there’s not a ton of tape on him because of how often he is hurt. Missing 3 games with a shoulder injury as a sophomore, he caught 33 passes for 364 yards and 3 touchdowns. He missed 7 games this year with a hamstring problem and caught 28 passes for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He’s a strong route runner with good mobility and excellent size. He has soft hands and guys tend to get out of his way when he has a head of steam in the open field. His blocking needs to get a little better, but he has the size and strength to be a good blocker. His problem is technique. He’s a vertical threat as well and a very good end zone threat. He’s close to the complete package at tight end, but he needs to stay healthy.
If teams weren’t scared by his injury problems, he’d probably go in the first round. However, even though he proved he is over his recent hamstring injury at his Pro Day, teams are still afraid of his injury red flags. If a guy can’t stay healthy when he’s this young, it doesn’t bode well for his future. He’ll probably go off the board in the top half of the 2nd round, sometime in the first 50 or so picks.
NFL Comparison: Rob Gronkowski
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