2022 NFL Draft: Colorado State’s Trey McBride a future star at tight end

The 2021 NFL Draft class was not exactly loaded at the tight end position, although the best non-quarterback in the class may have been Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts, who ended up going fourth overall to the Atlanta Falcons. The 2022 NFL Draft won’t need much to be better than the 2021 class specifically at the tight end position.

With that being said, Colorado State’s Trey McBride looks like he could have easily been the TE2 in the 2021 NFL Draft class behind Pitts, and it’s a wonder he didn’t declare for this most recent draft.

McBride is listed at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, and he moves like he’s about 40 pounds lighter than that.

In his first 16 college games, McBride has caught 67 passes for 890 yards and eight touchdowns with an average of 13.3 yards per reception. Where he really pops off the tape is after the catch and as a blocker.

McBride is tremendous after the catch and with a full head of steam, there’s not a defensive back that will want to get in his way, much less attempt to actually tackle him.

As a blocker, McBride looks to absolutely bury defenders. By the time he’s done at Colorado State, he’s going to have a full highlight reel of big-time blocks like this one and this one.

This past season for the Rams, he averaged 15 yards per reception and he did so by making plays like this.

The physicality McBride plays with is a lot of fun to watch. It doesn’t matter if he’s blocking, making plays after the catch, or being competitive at the catch point. He’s got such an advantage just with the way he uses his body and all-around strength.

McBride’s acceleration in the open field and refusal to go down on initial contact give him really fascinating potential at the next level. Watching the way he plays, don’t be shocked if he tests exceptionally well, but he may get dinged on draft boards for not having ideal height and length at the position.

Regardless of how teams decide to use him whether playing in-line, as a big slot, or wherever, it looks like McBride is going to have a long NFL career if he keeps up what we’ve seen through two seasons in Fort Collins.