by It’s that time of the year again! NFL Draft season.
Over the next two weeks, I’ll be breaking down and highlighting a handful of notable college football stars entering the draft — most of whom may be flying under the radar.
Today’s scouting report will be focused on University of Iowa tight end Erick All.
PRODUCTION
If you want to be an NFL tight end, just go to Iowa. It’s that simple. Next in line to do so is fifth-year senior Erick All.
A three-star high school recruit, All played for the University of Michigan from 2019-2022 despite not having a ton of receiving production as a tight end there. His best single-season in Ann Arbor came in 2021 when he played in 13 games, hauling in 38 catches for 437 yards (11.5 YPC) and two trips to the paint as a junior.
All decided for a late change of scenery and utilized the transfer portal by signing with Iowa for his final year of college football. In 2023, All played in just seven games before suffering a season-ending injury, catching 21 passes for 299 yards (14.2 YPC) and three scores. His performance on the campaign was still good enough to earn him Honorable All-Big Ten honors.
STRENGTHS
Ok sure, his stats are underwhelming, but that’s not to say All will be an impactful player at the next level. Squeezing into a loaded Michigan offense for four years before competing for the worst offense in college football at Iowa is a recipe for low production. But profile-wise, All is a stud.
The 6’4”, 252-pound Ohio native ran a 4.75 40 at the Combine, is a smooth athlete, and has good ball skills for his type. At Iowa, he was a good downfield threat and was a matchup issue for linebackers in coverage while excelling in man coverage.
One of the more underrated facets of All’s game is his blocking ability too. From 2021-2023, All allowed just two pressures and zero sacks in pass protection.
MY COMP: Jordan Cameron (CLE/MIA, 2011-2016)
Both All and Jordan Cameron are athletic tight ends who are more of “split out in the slot” pass-catchers with good speed. While fast, the two are more known for their quickness/agility rather than breakaway speed, and should primarily be red zone threats in the NFL.
All is a better blocker than Cameron ever was coming out of USC. However, the big downside between the two is a tendency for being injury prone — Cameron suffered several concussions and shoulder injuries in his prime, while All missed significant time in 2022 and 2023 because of knee problems.
PROJECTED ROUND: 5th-6th
Most NFL Draft coverage sites, such as Pro Football Focus, project All as a late-round pick and a borderline top-10 tight end in the 2024 class. The only reason I see for this is because of his strenuous injury history, especially after coming off a season-ending ACL tear in 2023. Aside from that, All is one of the most athletic pass-catching tight ends in this class and is a worthy low-risk, high-reward player if his medical profile checks out. Someone will take a chance on him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s earlier than anticipated. The dude is a baller when healthy.
