There are a few outlier TEs, who are targeted frequently, and DON'T run mostly hitches:
05.03.2026 22:50
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There are a few outlier TEs, who are targeted frequently, and DON'T run mostly hitches:
The most frequently run routes by the TEs who finished in the Top 10 in receiving yds (2025)
There. Is. A. Pattern. π
The most frequently run routes by NFL TEs (2022-2025), according to @sumersports.bsky.social SumerBrain:
1. Hitch/Curl- 20.1%
2. Flat- 15.16%
3. Crossing- 13.21%
4. Go- 12.93%
5. Out- 9.03%
(Link to see route rates for TE draft prospects)
π sumersports.com/2026-nfl-dra...
Does an increase in heavy TE packages mean an increase in TE draft value?
@kylecrabbs.bsky.social has some names to watch on the
βΆοΈSumerSports Show w/ @lindsayrhodes.bsky.social @bruchhaus.bsky.social
π: youtu.be/081AJvJBmpM?...
They provide scouting reports on the players in this year's class AND have "process" driven conversations with
@bruchhaus.bsky.social and I about data and evolution of the game.
We just dropped the 3rd of 10 episodes. It's about WRs.
You can watch here:
youtu.be/NPjQVdulk10?...
15. You should watch "The Evaluation" on YouTube. π
If you've found any of the above interesting, you'll like it.
It's a draft show @sumersports.bsky.social launched this year where our veteran NFL scouts and GMs peel back the curtain on their life-long draft processes.
Teams want to know how current players profiles compare to similar players in 1993 and 2004, etc. Combine events provide a controlled environment by which to make those comparisons.
We know whose get off is bonkers and who can sustain blocks. And those data points tell a better story than the 40 or the vertical jump or the bench press.
BUT... more data is always good. And combine data is the only "trait driven" data that we can track back historically.
We have *16 different traits we are consistently evaluating RBs for, for instance.
So we KNOW how fast players are on the field and how their speed changes depending on the route. We know which RB's shiftiness sends tackle probability plummeting.
14. The Combine events both *are* and are *not* important.
We have WAY better ways of assessing athleticism.
@sumersports.bsky.social alone has the ability to pull frame level data related to tracking from every play for every player in every game.
Sidenote: I have my eye on offense there, not defense. They HAVE to leave next season with a strong opinion on Bryce Young. They need to put pieces around him to do that. Can't be left wondering what he would have looked like with "better OL play" or "more pass catchers". They have to know.
They need to be intentional about building a solid foundation.
From what I know about the team... I think they will be.
They made the playoffs, but they're not yet knocking on the door. (Offense was 26th in EPA/play.) I think it's imperative they don't overestimate where they are in their build. They can't throw a ton of money around in FA to "make a run now".
13. Carolina is coming.
The Panthers are well thought of around the league. Their "process" seems sound.
I think their off-season will be very interesting to keep an eye on.
Resiliency is the word that KEPT POPPING UP in descriptions of Fernando Mendoza this week.
Things might get rough for him early on in the NFL. And his "traits" might not be elite. But his resilience... will give him the best possible chance.
12. RESILIENCY.
Jordan Palmer told @bruchhaus.bsky.social and I a few months back that the key to the "retread" QB (or "Phoenix QB", which we liked better) was "resiliency". The guys who made it past the hurdles that popped up for them early on were all, to a man, resilient...
11. If you need an OT who you KNOW is a great pass protector... this might not be the year.
The guys at the top are coming out of systems where we just didn't see a ton of that. And it's not their best skill... yet. Could turn out to be. But not yet.
Also, the way people talk about Mauigoa reminds me of the way people talked about Rashawn Slater. Tackle (right) who could also be an incredibly good guard. There's a sense that he'll be a good RT- particularly against the run- but if not, you could be getting an All Pro Guard.
10. It's "Maui-NOA" not "Maui-GOA".
Francis Mauigoa's name doesn't sound the way it looks.
If the skill is versatility... the team who values that and sees the vision will likely get creative.
(This might be a Makai Lemon/KC Concepcion post.)
It feels like a cheat code to a "stickier" projection. Fewer paths to fail.
Whereas the more traditional x receivers COULD go to a team that relies on more traditional deployments. They could use them too much along the sideline. Without motion.
The skill could go underused.
9. Power slot.
It's my new obsession. WRs who COULD be #1 targets who play in the slot a lot, but could go inside out.
I'm intrigued by the versatility. But also the notion that a team that drafts a guy like that early on is doing so BECAUSE of the versatility.
The goal of those packages is to get the defense in a better look to pass against.
Safeties will be key to combat that.
Teams might decide to look at those positions as a result.
8. Tight ends and safeties.
In terms of the cycle of "offense-adjusting-to-defense-adjusting-to-offense" that happens all the time, the heavy TE personnel groupings we saw this year feel like something to watch.
...and she thinks we are on the front end of an "ideas era" where the ability to pivot, self-scout, and completely reshape processes is going to be the pre-eminent skill set.
This will play out in a number of ways.
7. We are in an "ideas" era. And the ability to "pivot" is king.
We taped a SumerSports Show pod w/ @jourdanrodrigue.bsky.social
today. It'll come out in the next few days. It is worth looking out for. No one's better at investigating and assessing the people who shape this league...
As @jourdanrodrigue.bsky.social told @bruchhaus.bsky.social and I, the era of coaches who are *not* doing that is dying or dead.
6. You can't copy the Seahawks D.
It's more about Macdonald than it is the scheme/pieces.
You can try to copy Macdonald.
In this way: take good players, then assess your guys and alter your D to fit their skills.
Emmanwori and Hamilton are more "rangey"- 6'4, 220ish.
Downs is 6'0, 205. The comps are closer to Budda Baker, stylistically.
5. Caleb Downs is amazing, but he's not Nick Emmanwori. Or Kyle Hamilton.
LOT of talk about the Seahawks D, and teams trying to "copy" them and the way they used Emmanwori to make it all work.
Downs isn't the answer for "that"...
