MyCole Pruitt Is the Best 2015 Tight End Prospect You Haven't Heard of

In a draft class featuring precious few elite talents at tight end, Southern Illinois' MyCole Pruitt has a real chance to become the secret star of the position group.

Maxx Williams of Minnesota and Clive Walford of Miami (Fl.) are widely considered the two best tight ends in the 2015 class. Michigan's Devin Funchess, if deemed a tight end, would also be included at or near the top. From there, the rest of the position group is littered with unknowns—leaving the opportunity for an ultra-productive small-school prospect with top combine measurables to emerge as the best of the remaining options. 

Pruitt finds himself securely within the second tier, which includes Rutgers' Tyler Kroft, Ohio State's Jeff Heuerman, Oklahoma's Blake Bell, South Carolina's Rory Anderson, Penn State's Jesse James and Florida State's Nick O'Leary. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller listed Pruitt as the seventh-best tight end in his final 2015 rankings. Dane Brugler of CBS Sports placed him at No. 4, while NFL.com's Lance Zierlein slotted him in at No. 10. Pruitt is generally considered to be a late-Day 2 or Day 3 pick. 

He's almost certainly a diamond-in-the-rough candidate. 

Over 44 career games at FCS school Southern Illinois, Pruitt caught 221 passes for 2,601 yards and 25 touchdowns. His best season came as a senior, when he hauled in career highs in catches (81), receiving yards (861) and touchdowns (13). By the end of his collegiate career, he was a two-time first-team All-American (2013, '14) and the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns among tight ends in Missouri Valley Football Conference history.

	G	Rec	Yards	TD
2011	11	43	562	3
2012	11	49	577	4
2013	10	48	601	5
2014	12	81	863	13
Totals	44	221	2601	25

The production came against lower-level competition, but a tight end doesn't catch 40 or more passes for four straight seasons without some sort of idea about getting open and securing the football. 

"He’s a clean catcher with soft, big hands (10 ¼”) and good concentration in traffic," Miller wrote of Pruitt. "He’s confident in his catching ability and extends well away from his frame to make plays on the ball."

Pruitt caught four or more passes in 11 of 12 games last season, including each of the first nine. Eight times, he hauled in seven or more receptions. 

His production hasn't come solely against FCS teams. In 2013, Pruitt caught five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown against Big 10 foe Illinois. 

Pruitt's one opportunity against an FBS school in 2014 opened eyes back in September. On the road against another Big 10 opponent in Purdue, the 6'2" tight end caught 10 passes for a season-high 136 yards, with a long reception of 46. The Boilermakers had no answer for Pruitt, who accounted for exactly half of Southern Illinois' passing yards. 

Brugler came away from the game impressed, as he noted his weekly stock report:

"

Working out of the slot and inline, Pruitt had a game-best 10 catches for 136 yards, displaying quickness off the line of scrimmage with flexibility and gliding speed to catch the ball in stride and motor down the field. He leaves you wanting more at times with some laziness in his routes and as a blocker, but Pruitt has smooth footwork to fool defensive backs with large, soft mitts to look the ball in and secure grabs. 

"

Pruitt built on the performance, catching 16 passes for 243 yards and three scores over the next two contests. Overall, he scored touchdowns in 10 of Southern Illinois' 12 games, with three multi-score efforts. 

But production from the lower levels of college football can only take a draft prospect so far. There needs to be more to the evaluation, and Pruitt certainly delivered it at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. 

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Weighing in at 252 pounds, Pruitt ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds—by far the best time among tight ends at the combine. The next fastest at the position was South Alabama's Wes Saxton at 4.65 seconds, while Williams (4.78) and Walford (4.79) were at least two-tenths of a second slower.

Pruitt also posted the top vertical jump at the position with a leap of 38.0", and his 9'10" broad jump finished as fourth-best. In the shuttles, Pruitt had the third-best time in both the 20-yard (4.37 seconds) and 60-yard (11.85) workouts. 

Viewed as a whole, Pruitt's performance at the combine was unquestionably the best at the tight end position. He showed off straight-line speed, lower body power and foot quickness—three strong assets for the transition to the next level. 

Once mostly an unknown, the Southern Illinois star suddenly became a draft-board riser. The impressive numbers forced evaluators to go back and watch more of Pruitt's game, and most liked what they saw. 

"An athletic, speedy tight end with move tight-end traits, MyCole Pruitt will excite teams looking for a vertical threat," wrote Miller, who compared Pruitt to Benjamin Watson—a former first-round pick. 

"Hands-catcher who adjusts to the ball," Zierlein wrote in his draft profile. "Catches while covered and secures in traffic. Plays with above-average football intelligence. Finds openings in zones and exploits them."

Zierlein's pro comparison for Pruitt was Daniel Fells, who caught 108 passes with 12 touchdowns over eight NFL seasons. 

Following his pro day, at which he did positional drills but stood on his combine workout, Pruitt was compared by NFL.com's Gil Brandt to current Buffalo Bills tight end Charles Clay. The 6'3", 255-pound Clay caught over 100 passes with nine touchdowns over the last two seasons in Miami. He recently signed a lucrative five-year deal with Buffalo. 

Brugler has liked Pruitt for some time. 

"Tape leaves you wanting more and he is untested against elite competition, but Pruitt has obvious talent," Brugler wrote. "He moves well for the position with the versatility to be an impact pass-catcher and potential blocker. Needs development in many areas -- route-running and consistent effort for starters -- but he has NFL starter potential."

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Every mid-round prospect comes with a caveat or two. In the projection business, there's always at least one reason to question whether the player will make it at the next level. 

As Brugler noted, Pruitt's are effort and route running. 

Teams will certainly have question marks about his motor, which appeared to run hot and cold in college. A dominant player at the lower levels, Pruitt didn't always give top effort on every down. His athletic gifts won't be rare or overwhelming in the NFL, where he will need undeviating exertion to be a true threat. 

"Inconsistent effort as back-side run blocker and pass protector," Zierlein noted. "Play speed is marginal. Doesn't show consistent competitive toughness as a goal-line blocker and gears down in his routes if he doesn't anticipate getting the ball."

The marginal effort occasionally shows up when he's working the route tree. Creating separation in the NFL is as much about technique within the play design as it is effort in getting from one spot to the next. Lollygagging from Point A to Point B won't cut it against the best athletes and best defenses in the world. 

"Lazy route runner and appears to be moving at half-speed too often, slowing in his breaks and not staying under control," Brugler wrote among his weaknesses. "Makes it too easy for defenders to anticipate his path, not consistently setting up his routes."

The good thing for Pruitt is that both areas can be addressed at the next level. Neither would seem to be a physical limitation. 

Effort and play speed will be demanded—if not straight up expected—once he enters an NFL offense. He'll either run his motor hot at a higher clip or he'll be looking for work in short order. 

Route running is also something that will be altered and refined at the next level. A strong positional coach or offensive coordinator will have the opportunity to teach him the ins and outs of creating separation at the NFL level.

If Pruitt can make positive strides in both effort and route running, he'll have the chance to be a starting-caliber tight end and a difficult matchup in the passing game. 

Pruitt won't be the first tight end off the board next week. He might not be the second, third or fourth. But given his impressive blend of productive hands and measurable athleticism, it's certainly possible the relatively unknown Southern Illinois star will eventually be considered one of the best tight ends to come out of the 2015 draft class. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2