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Five 2019 NFL Draft prospects you shouldn’t sleep on

By Dillon Appleman

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Running back Rodney Anderson #24 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after scoring on a nine-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Running back Rodney Anderson #24 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after scoring on a nine-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – AUGUST 31: Darwin Thompson #5 of the Utah State Aggies celebrate his fourth quarter touchdown with Dax Raymond #87 and Quin Ficklin #51 while playing the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on August 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 38-31. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – AUGUST 31: Darwin Thompson #5 of the Utah State Aggies celebrate his fourth quarter touchdown with Dax Raymond #87 and Quin Ficklin #51 while playing the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on August 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 38-31. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Dax Raymod – TE – Utah State

Tight ends have evolved to be one of the most important pieces to a pro offense and every team could always use more talent at the position. Lucky for those needy teams, the 2019 NFL Draft class is home to one the deepest and most talented tight end groups in a while and there could be up to three guys taken in the first round (Hockenson, Fant, I. Smith). One name that is kind of lost in the shuffle of such a deep class is Utah State’s Dax Raymond.

Raymond has the perfect build for an NFL tight end as he measured in at nearly 6’5” and weighed 255 pounds at the combine. You can see the potential in his skill set as he shows quality traits in both the run and passing game. He has a solid understanding of blocking assignments and does a good job at finishing them through the whistle.

Raymond gets in and out of his breaks quickly and is impressive when he is able to turn up field after the catch. That athleticism was put on display during his workout in Indianapolis as he notched a 4.72 40 yard dash and a 7.15 3-cone. To put that into perspective, Zach Ertz ran a 4.76 and had a 7.08 3-cone.

The biggest knock on Raymond, and perhaps it is a bit unfair, is that he’s 24 years old. While I think the “he’s too old” argument is ridiculous, there are teams that will penalize him for that.

Regardless, this is a guy who fits the mold of a modern NFL tight end and he only helped himself after an impressive showing in Indy.

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