Round 6, Pick No. 182: Derrick Deese Jr., TE, San Jose State
Deese strikes me as one of those prospects who slips in the NFL draft because he doesn’t project perfectly to one position. Deese lacks the height and blocking ability you might look for in a star tight end, but also lacks the speed you’d crave in a wide receiver.
At 6-foot-4 and 236 pounds with a 4.78 40 time, Deese is a TE/WR tweener. However, what he does do is run good routes and catch the football. He has good fundamentals off the snap, tracks the ball well, and uses his soft hands to haul in off-target passes.
Perhaps with time, Deese can improve his blocking and the coaching staff can move him around the formation and find his NFL niche that allows him to be productive at the next level.