Matt Bushman NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Las Vegas Raiders TE

HEIGHT: 6'4 5/8"

WEIGHT: 245 lbs

POSITIVES

—Above-average height, weight and length who can hold up as a Y TE.

—Productive in the passing game with good, natural hands. Comfortable snatching throws away from his body that helps on intermediate routes and in contested catch situations.

—Flashes good initial pop and toughness with his blocking. His play strength will also show up with the ball in his hands, can be a load to tackle.

NEGATIVES

—Old for draft class. Will turn 26 his rookie season.

—Will end up on the ground a lot when blocking in the run game. Lacks overwhelming length or athleticism to consistently sustain.

—Lack of adequate athleticism hinders his upside in the passing game.

2019 STATISTICS

12 G, 47 rec., 688 yards, 14.6 avg., 4 TD

NOTES

—Missed 2020 season due to a ruptured Achilles. 

—Went on a two-year LDS mission before enrolling at BYU.

—Also played baseball at BYU.

OVERALL

Matt Bushman had a very productive career at BYU before an injury took away his senior season. Bushman plays with good competitiveness and toughness in his play and shows some route-running ability with his good feel for soft spaces versus zone coverage.

He has natural hands and can consistently maximize his catching range with his hand-eye coordination and above-average length. Bushman is built like a Y, but his game is more like an F, where the issue is that he is an average overall athlete whose deficiencies show up in route running versus man coverage and with his ability to bend and sustain in the run game. This will only get harder after his Achilles injury in 2020.

Overall, Bushman has enough size, toughness and production to be worthy of a look, but he is an old prospect coming off a serious injury, which will hinder his upside.

GRADE: 6.4/10 (Round 7)

OVERALL RANK: 255/300

POSITION RANK: TE11

PRO COMPARISON: Ben Koyack 

Written by B/R NFL Scout Nate Tice