Broncos air attack gets gas with selection of Jake Butt

The Denver Broncos used the 145th overall selection in the NFL Draft on Michigan tight end Jake Butt. The highly-regarded Butt is 6’5″, 246 pounds and racked up an impressive 138 catches for 1,646 yards and 11 touchdowns throughout his college career.

Butt was considered one of the upper echelon tight ends in this year’s draft before an ACL injury in Michigan’s bowl game against Florida State caused him to tumble down draft boards.

NFL.com’s scouting report reads:

Strengths

Has NFL size and steps up big in the passing game. Strong hands are like magnets. Can snatch and secure at the catch point. Tough and reliable when working in traffic. Fearless in the middle of the field and understands how to protect himself and the ball while there. Slick with hands. Has slap move to free himself off line of scrimmage and able to create separation at top of his route with sly push-offs. Sinks into space and chews up zone coverage. Play attributes will help him win in the red zone. Effective in intermediate work adjusting routes according to defensive positioning. Competitive after catch with ability to add to his yardage through force. Team co-captain.

Weaknesses

A little cumbersome getting off the line and into his routes. Very average athleticism. One-speed runner without many gears. Lacks speed to threaten vertically. Upright into and out of his breaks. Acceleration out of his cuts can be slight. Separation often comes from rub routes and scheme. NFL linebackers should be able to stick him in coverage. Limited catch radius. Grabby as a blocker and takes questionable angles up to second level. Allows physical outside linebackers to set strong edges against him. Needs more commitment and work as a run-blocker on NFL level.

Bottom Line

In-line tight end with strong, natural hands and the toughness to make a living in the middle of the field as a chain-moving safety blanket. While he’s shown ability to operate as an intermediate target as well, he might lack the athleticism and separation to uncover against NFL safeties and some linebackers in man coverage. Butt must improve greatly as a blocker to reach his potential as a Y tight end. However, his ability as a reliable, productive target should earn him an early starter’s nod with a chance to become a solid pro.

His NFL comparable is Zach Miller.