Mark Andrews – Prospect Spotlight

Mark Andrews:

Overview:

Mark Andrews is a redshirt junior at tight end for the University of Oklahoma. He is listed at 6’5″ and 254 pounds.  Andrews is originally from Scottsdale, Arizona. He has type-1 diabetes and he had multiple emergencies while at Oklahoma due to low blood sugar. Andrews did not start playing football until his freshman year of high school. He won the John Mackey Award in 2017, which goes to college football’s most outstanding tight end.

Statistics:

2015 – nine games, 19 receptions, 318 yards, seven touchdowns.

2016 – 12 games, 31 receptions, 489 yards, seven touchdowns.

2017 – 14 games, 62 receptions, 958 yards, eight touchdowns.

Scouting:

Andrews is definitely not the fastest or most athletic tight end in the draft class, but he could possibly be this most talented. His best trait is how reliable he is when running a route in the middle of the field and in the end zone. Andrews has very good hands and he can definitely be relied on to make contested catches when needed to. He is also one of the best blocking tight ends in this class, in both run and pass blocking. Andrews excels at using his body to create separation, which is needed since he is not the fastest player. Even though he may not be the fastest, Andrews did show a little shiftiness once he had the ball in his hands.

NFL Comparison:

– Jason Witten – tight end – Dallas Cowboys

– My NFL Comparison for Andrews is Jason Witten. I could not stop thinking of how much Andrews compares to Witten while I was watching film. Everything from how reliable he is, to how he excels at blocking, and to the way he creates separation all are similar to Witten. While at Oklahoma, Andrews had a great connection with his quarterback, Baker Mayfield. This connection reminded me of the one Witten and his former quarterback, Tony Romo, had in Dallas.

NFL Teams that could be interested:

I think quite a few teams will be interested in Andrews, considering he will probably be most teams number one tight end. It might be a smart idea for whatever team that drafts Baker Mayfield to also consider drafting Andrews. I think it is usually a smart idea for a team who drafts a “franchise quarterback” to try and also draft a player that he played with in college.  This could make the transition to the NFL easier for both players. I could potentially see the New York Jets targeting Andrews in the second round, especially if they get Mayfield in the first.

Recap:

Overall I think Andrews is the best tight end in this draft class and he should be the first one selected. I could see him being selected anywhere from the late first round to the late second round.

Games Scouted:

Georgia (2017), TCU (2017), Kansas State (2017), Texas (2017), UTEP (2017)

Contact Information:

Twitter – @Dak54_NFL_Scout

Email – codyjmiller43@gmail.com