2022 NFL Draft: Alabama TE Jahleel Billingsley has immense upside

The 2022 NFL Draft will be an interesting one at the tight end position, especially after two seasons of not much after Kyle Pitts and Pat Freiermuth. Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer was the favorite as initial viewings started in the summer, but the consensus is slowly fading away. It’s a class that could feature a big time riser. Here at NFL Mocks, we’ve looked at two of those players in Trey McBride and Cade Otton, but now it’s time to look at Alabama Crimson Tide tight end Jahleel Billingsley.

Alabama TE Jahleel Billingsley has all the tools to make noise for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Billingsley was a consensus four star player out of high school, and was ranked as the third best player in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com. He helped lead Phillips Academy to a 5A state title as a junior, and was the first player that Alabama signed from Illinois since 1997.

Yes, the numbers to this point aren’t great. Billingsley had just 18 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games during the 2020 season. However, when one considers that both Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle (partly) were there to get a lot of targets, and then John Metchie III after Waddle went down, it would be hard to get a lot of market share there. Combine that with the receiving chops of Najee Harris, and there’s no wonder the numbers weren’t there.

In 2021, other than Metchie, there’s no reason Billingsley shouldn’t get the opportunity to produce, especially with the traits he has. Let’s take a look at the guy who could have a major rise for the 2022 NFL Draft.