2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Mike Gesicki

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Mike Gesicki, 6-5/242 Tight End Penn State

Mike Gesicki Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Athletic ability

Mismatch weapon

Quick for a tight end

Too fast for linebackers and some safeties

Too big for safeties to cover

Big frame

High points the ball well

Leaping ability

Excellent body control

Red-zone weapon

Quick down the seam

Tracks the ball well

Adjusts well to the ball

Good route-runnner

Finds the soft spots in zone coverage

Fearless to make leaping grabs

Athletic upside

Volleyball background translates well

Weaknesses:

Huge liability as a blocker

Poor blocking technique

Drops some passes

Should get stronger

Summary: After being a star volleyball player in high school, Gesicki started out as a backup football player during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He broke out as a juniot with 48 receptions for 679 yards and five touchdowns. In his final collegiate season, Gesicki totaled 57 receptions for 563 yards and nine touchdowns. He went on to put together a nice week at the Senior Bowl as a receiver.

For the NFL, Gesicki is a receiving tight end who could hurt defenses with his mismatch problems. He is a good athlete and possesss some real quickness. Gesicki runs well down the seam with speed to get vertical. His impressive athletic ability translates to him having excellent body control and leaping ability. Given his talent to jump above defenders, Gesicki is very dangerous at high pointing the ball and boxing out defenders to make leaping grabs. Gesicki can routinely hang above defenders to make leaping receptions in the middle of the field. His speed and agility also make him a good route runner who can generate separation. With his quickness, size, and leaping ability, Gesicki is a dangerous red-zone weapon for the next level.

Gesicki does have some areas to improve for the NFL as a receiver. He had too many drops at Penn State. Those came on both contested catches and non-contested catches. As a pro, his role will be as a receiving tight end, so he needs to be more reliable at catching the ball.

Gesicki also needs a lot of work as a blocker. Defensive ends and linebackers routinely beat the blocks from Gesicki, but he even struggled to block defensive backs. In order for Gesicki to become a three-down starter in the NFL, his blocking ability is going to need massive improvement. Getting stronger would help him, and he has the frame to add weight. At least in the early going of his career, Gesicki is to be relegated to serving as a receiving tight end, which will limit his snaps. He may never develop into a three-down starter capable of being a good blocker and receiver.

Here’s how one team source broke down Gesicki, “Gesicki is Coby Fleener. Tall, lean, probably will run fast, horrendous blocker – even versus defensive backs. He’s got some high-point ability, but I have seen him drop his share of contact catches and contested catches, too. I don’t feel he’s as a strong as he could be.”



Player Comparison: Coby Fleener. As the source said above, Gesicki is very similar to Fleener. As a 33rd-overall pick, Fleener was one of the busted picks by former Colts general manager Ryan Grigson. Gesicki should be a third- or fourth-rounder in the 2018 NFL Draft, and thus the expectations should be more realistic for him to develop into a role player. He could definitely end up being a better version of Fleener.

NFL Matches: Pittsburgh, Miami, Baltimore, Green Bay, New England, Jacksonville and Houston

Pittsburgh needs a tight end upgrade and is in ‘win-now’ mode. Gesicki could give the Steelers a receiving weapon to use down the seam.

In the third or fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, there are a lot of potential landing spots for Gesicki. Miami needs a three-down starting tight end as Julius Thomas is just a role player. Baltimore also needs a tight end upgrade because Ben Watson is ancient for a NFL player and Maxx Williams hasn’t panned out yet.

The Packers need a starting tight end. Martellus Bennett didn’t last one year in Green Bay, while Richard Rodgers is entering free agency. The Packers could also use a receiving upgrade over Rodgers. Even if he’s re-signed, that wouldn’t eliminate Gesicki as a potential mid-round pick. Bennett signed with New England, but he’s clearly a declining player. The Patriots could consider Gesicki as a tight end to pair with Rob Gronkowski. Gesicki would give New England some scheme protection if Gronkowski gets injured again.

The Jaguars could use a long-term starting tight end as Marcedes Lewis turns 34 after the 2018 NFL Draft. If Gesicki were to slide to their third-round pick, he could be a nice value for the Jaguars. The Texans have three picks in the third round, and Houston needs more receiving talent at tight end.

2018 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Choose Player 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Home Adonis Alexander, CB, Virginia Tech Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma Dorance Armstrong, DE, Kansas Marcel Ateman, WR, Oklahoma State Anthony Averett, CB, Alabama Kalen Ballage, RB, Arizona State Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State Sam Beal, CB, Western Michigan Andrew Brown, DE, Virginia Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma Taven Bryan, DT, Florida Lorenzo Carter, LB, Georgia D.J. Chark, WR, LSU Geron Christian, OT, Louisville Bradley Chubb, DE, N.C. State Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia Simmie Cobbs, WR, Indiana Tyrell Crosby, OT, Oregon James Daniels, C, Iowa Sam Darnold, QB, USC Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn Duke Dawson, CB, Florida Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech Duke Ejiofor, DE, Wake Forest Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama Luke Falk, QB, Washington State Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State Rasheem Green, DT, USC Derrius Guice, RB, LSU DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Penn State Da'Shawn Hand, DE, Alabama Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama Will Hernandez, G, UTEP Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan Donte Jackson, CB, LSU Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa Derwin James, S, Florida State Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas Kerryon Johnson, RB, Auburn Ronald Jones, RB, USC Arden Key, DE, LSU Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia Harold Landry, DE, Boston College Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State Iman Marshall, CB, USC Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame Sony Michel, RB, Georgia Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado Brian O'Neill, OT, Pittsburgh Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford Billy Price, C, Ohio State Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State Justin Reid, S, Stanford Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State Jaylen Samuels, RB, N.C. State Tim Settle, DT, Virginia Tech Braden Smith, G, Auburn Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU Chad Thomas, DE, Miami Trenton Thompson, DT, Georgia Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State Vita Vea, DT, Washington Akrum Wadley, RB, Iowa Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson Connor Williams, OT, Texas Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia

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