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Derrick Deese NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for San Jose State TE
HEIGHT: 6’3”
WEIGHT: 236
POSITIVES
— Good build with long arms.
— Natural catcher of the football. Maximizes catching range and is comfortable extending away from his body to pull down the football.
— Flashes good blocking ability with legit play strength to block DEs from in-line positions. Plays with balance and can sustain once latched on.
— Above-average body control with his route running. Flashes ability to stay tight on his route breaks. Will lean and use body to create leverage.
— Above-average long speed. Has build-up speed and can get vertical.
NEGATIVES
— Raw route runner at this point in time.
— Inconsistent with his technique as a blocker.
2021 STATISTICS
12 G, 47 REC, 730 YDS (15.5 AVG), 4 TD
NOTES
— Transferred from Golden West Community College
— Father, Derrick Deese, played OL in the NFL for 14 seasons.
OVERALL
Derrick Deese Jr. is a long tight end who aligned in-line and split out in the formation during college. He flashes good play strength and is a legit blocker of edge defenders on run plays. Deese has enough athleticism to bend and gain leverage and pull on counter run plays and can also use his good length and balance to sustain his blocks.
He has strong hands that show up as a blocker and when catching the football. Deese snatches throws away from his body and is a ball winner on contested catches, even flashing the ability to make the spectacular catch.
Deese has build-up long speed but has enough to be a valid option on intermediate routes, where his frame also is an asset. He flashes understanding of how to use leverage when running routes, and his body control helps him stay friendly to the quarterback when breaking on routes.
However, Deese will need to continue route refinement and polish. He also can get caught trying to just use his raw strength on his blocks and lose because of technique, but his consistency improved as the season went along.
Overall, Deese projects as a true Y TE at the NFL level. He is a natural catcher of the football with a wide catching range at all angles. And has the play strength to stay as an in-line player on first and second down. Deese has body control and enough athleticism to be a legitimate option as a receiver but will need to refine his route-running ability to become a player offensive coordinators design concepts for. He flashes the ability to be a true ball winner in the red zone and will not have to be hidden in the run game at all.
With enough athleticism and toughness to be a special teams contributor early in his career and as a junior college transfer, there is still some untapped room for growth with him to ascend even more as a player.
GRADE: 6.8 (Potential role player - 4th Round)
OVERALL RANK: 131
POSITION RANK: TE7
PRO COMPARISON: Blake Jarwin