Bucs Meet With A Tight End
April 13th, 2023
Michigan TE Luke Schoonmaker.
Joe thinks this is a smart move.
Cade Otton shows promise but Joe isn’t blown away with his blocking. He’s the Bucs’ best tight end, so the position is not a strength of the team.
Joe loves Ko Kieft but really, how much do you want him involved in the passing game? He may get there someday.
Well, it seems the Bucs will visit with a tight end to get inside the young man’s head. Jeremy Fowler of BSPN twittered the Bucs are bringing in Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker as part of the team’s 30 official visits.
So what is this Schoonmaker (not Boomhauer!) like? He seems like a Cade Otton clone who blocks.
Here is Dane Brugler’s piece on Schoonmaker in “The Beast” draft guide from The Athletic:
A two-year starter at Michigan, Schoonmaker was a Y tight end in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s power-spread offense, lining up primarily inline/wing and occasionally in the slot. Originally a left-handed quarterback in high school, he became a starter as a junior in Ann Arbor, and his role expanded as a senior when Erick All missed the 2022 season because of injury. As a pass catcher, Schoonmaker is efficient in his routes and catches the ball well enough, but he is limited after the catch (only four of his 52 receptions the past two seasons went for 25-plus yards). As a blocker, he showed improvements each season and does enough to keep defenders busy, although his pass-pro reps were limited. Overall, Schoonmaker is only average in most areas, but he has the size, speed and strength to be a solid possession receiver and positional blocker. His well-rounded game will help him become a steady No. 2 (and potential No. 1) tight end for an NFL team.
Brugler believes Schoonmaker is the No. 7 tight end in the draft and projects him to go in the third round. If the Bucs do pick Schoonmaker there, he potentially could unseat Otton
Otton was the first overall pick of Round 4 last spring.
Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan, #86
– YAC potential/openfield speed
– Excellent movement blocker, length and speed in space
– Solid down blocker, can execute different blocking schemes, handles DEs
– Finds zone windows
– Wins over deep MoF
– Dependable hands
– Y or F option pic.twitter.com/m0JumWojRr— Nate Christensen (@natech32) April 10, 2023
April 13th, 2023 at 9:03 am
Yep, get me Schoonmaker or LaPorta, either would be compliment to our TE room.
April 13th, 2023 at 9:04 am
Him or Tucker Kraft will be a good option later if we skip on G. Washington. Laporta is another later round option… but we’ve got to get one somewhere, who is preferably very good at blocking/route running/catching.
April 13th, 2023 at 9:04 am
I want Washington from UGa
April 13th, 2023 at 9:05 am
D. washington….sorry
April 13th, 2023 at 9:07 am
If we get a high 2nd for D. White, then we’re gonna have to go LB after Oline, so we’ll miss on Washington, unfortunately…
April 13th, 2023 at 9:41 am
Too many other higher priority NEEDS right now to be drafting a TE in the Top-3 Rounds … unless he’s the second coming of Rob Gronkowski. If we can get a 4th Rnd pick by packaging however, he may well be worth it there (somehow I doubt that the Top-7 TEs will be drafted by the end of Rnd 3).
April 13th, 2023 at 9:51 am
I’d like us to comb the UDFAs and post draft free agency to boost the TE group.
Trenches. Big uglies. Ugly bigs. Pass rush, run stuff, pass protect, run block. And I guess a linebacker who is a team player.
April 13th, 2023 at 10:02 am
We are definitely needing a TE & will likely pick one in rounds 1-3…..
April 13th, 2023 at 10:17 am
IMO, Josh whyle from Cincinnati she be still available with one of our 5th round picks. That would be a value pick.
April 13th, 2023 at 10:23 am
As long as we address OT (OL in general), edge and DL… if we can package White for pick or picks then LB will need to be addressed obviously. I just dont want JL to force a pick or picks. Would love to have enough capital. I love Nolan Smith and D Washington from UGA but not sure exactly where they will ultimately go. I dont buy these mocks as they will be more OFF than usual with this draft. I can see Nolan Smith going WAY higher than projected. Personally, I dont think he will be around at 19. I also believe the LTs will be LONG gone by 19 and dont want to see JL force an LT pick. I see there being a run on QBs and LTs. Robinson likely a top 10 pick. Smith and Anderson gone early. How far will Carter fall? How many elite CBs are there really? I think it’s only Witherspoon as ELITE at CB. If there is a run at LT, QB and Nolan Smith gone I hope JL can trade out of 19 and get more picks in rounds 2, 3 and 4 depending on trade partner and the move.
April 13th, 2023 at 10:48 am
He won’t beat out Otton, at least certainly not on third downs. Otton can run well and get open. If schooner has average speed then he really is first/second down TE and will catch passes when not really expected to.
April 13th, 2023 at 10:54 am
I like this pick if he lasts until the 3rd round
April 13th, 2023 at 11:00 am
Schoonmaker is 6’5″, a big boy. Mayfield is a little twerp, won’t be able to see over the line to hit Schoonmaker. Trask is 6’5″ (plus 1/8″) and can. Why are we wasting time with a little twerp?
April 13th, 2023 at 11:01 am
Get him and make Ko a fullback.
April 13th, 2023 at 11:02 am
I’d like to see dual tight end sets like the Patsies used to run.
April 13th, 2023 at 11:17 am
Develop Ko more by having him catch 500 balls from the Juggs machine after each practice. Ko looked good in limited work last year.
April 13th, 2023 at 1:06 pm
So he will be Luke Stocker 2.0
April 13th, 2023 at 1:22 pm
HC Grover Says:
April 13th, 2023 at 11:01 am
Get him and make Ko a fullback.
I like this idea! Obviously Ko could still be used blocking at the LOS too.
April 13th, 2023 at 1:27 pm
80forBrady … ‘Ko looked good in limited work last year.’
Yes he did, in very limited work unfortunately. Was only targeted 10 times, but caught 7 of those (70%) for 80 yards (11.4 YPC to lead all our TEs by quite a bit). He’s Gronk-size (6’5″ & 265 lbs) so once he catches it he’s surely not that easy to bring down (Yards Before Catch was 49, and his Yards After Catch was 31 … quite a good ratio).
Ko’s 70% catch rate actually led all TEs by quite a bit. Orton caught 64.6% (but got a lot more targets), Rudolph caught 60.0% (only 5 targets all year … a steal for only $2.0 mil), and Brate caught 52.6% (might have been why he was released?). I’m wondering if Kieft is too big to be an effective fullback, but I’m sure his size will come in handy when it comes to blocking as a TE.
April 13th, 2023 at 2:36 pm
Picks 1>3 need to be:
-OT
-Edge rusher/OLB
-ILB or Safety
Bucs HAVE to fill those 4 glaring NEEDS with quality prospects.
April 13th, 2023 at 4:13 pm
Too bad he didn’t stay a left-handed QB. lol
April 13th, 2023 at 4:13 pm
I agree with Pickgrin which is why need to trade back a few slots in the 1st rd and trade D. White for a couple of day 2 picks. That would give us 6 picks in rounds 1-3 for an OT, Edge, ILB, TE, DT and S.
Sorry, but both Otton and Schoonmaker are #2 Tight Ends.
LaPorta may be also. To use Joe’s words, how good is the #1 tight end on the #123 offense? Iowa was 123rd of 131 teams averaging only 156 yards passing and 95 yards rushing.