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Lucas Krull NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Pittsburgh TE
HEIGHT: 6'6"
WEIGHT: 251
POSITIVES
— Tall, rocked-up frame with good arm length. Looks the part.
— Good speed. Can stretch the field vertically and horizontally.
— Smooth mover. Glides in between and through zones.
— Decent route-runner. Clears the bar given his athletic profile.
— Flashes the ability to pluck the ball out of the air well outside of his frame.
NEGATIVES
— Play strength as a blocker can waver. Not going to be moving anyone at the pro level.
— Stop/start athleticism and explosiveness are not as good as his testing numbers suggest.
— Inconsistent hands overall.
— Play in traffic can be questionable. Has instances where he starts hearing footsteps and tenses up.
2021 STATISTICS
13 G, 38 REC, 451 YDS (11.9 AVG), 6 TD
NOTES
— Played two years of baseball at Jefferson College in Missouri before transitioning to football.
— Played football at Florida for two seasons before transferring to Pitt in 2020.
— Suffered a knee injury in 2020 that limited him to just one game.
— Started the 2021 season.
— 2021 second-team All-ACC.
OVERALL
Lucas Krull is a late-blooming tight end prospect with some athletic potential still left to be unlocked.
Krull shows all the necessary movement skills to be a field-stretching tight end. Though not a true blazer, Krull shows good speed both up the seams and across the field, showcasing the fluidity to weave around defenders through zones while still maintaining his speed. That same mobility shows up when he gets the ball in his hands, though he could stand to be a little meaner when fighting through contact.
As a route-runner, Krull looks a little uncomfortable on shorter routes at times in part because of his limited experience and average stop/start athleticism. On intermediate routes, however, Krull tends to do well to threaten defenders with his speed and transition smoothly in and out of his breaks to generate decent separation. Those separation skills are necessary given Krull's catching ability right now. Not only does Krull have random drops from time to time, but he is not yet comfortable hauling in passes in congested areas. He has the length and size for it, but the consistency is not there at this time.
As a blocker, Krull is not a trainwreck, but he needs to add some strength and try to play with better pad level. Krull too often loses his attachment to defenders whenever operating in space, while also not being a people-mover when asked to be the lead man at the point of attack. Again, Krull has the length and size to be a good blocker, but he needs to work on it.
Krull is an intriguing bet for teams looking to get bigger and more athletic at tight end. Though not a complete player yet, Krull can be an effective field-stretcher as a No. 2 early on while working to iron out his short-area route-running, hands and blocking skills.
GRADE: 6.6 (Potential Role Player - 4th Round)
OVERALL RANK: 146
POSITION RANK: TE9
PRO COMPARISON: Brycen Hopkins
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen