Green Bay Packers to Meet w/ San Diego State TE Daniel Bellinger

The tight end position is likely once again on the Green Bay Packers radar this draft season.

We don’t know if Robert Tonyan will be re-signed or what the future holds for Marcedes Lewis, who could retire—but even if he does return for the 2022 season, the Packers should be in search of his eventual replacement, given the importance of his role in this offense.

With the NFL combine in full swing, there will be plenty of meetings that take place this week between the Green Bay Packers and draft prospects that they have some level of interest in.

One reported meeting that will take place on Wednesday is with San Diego State tight end Daniel Bellinger, according to Game on Wisconsin.

Bellinger has 1,743 career snaps, and his primary role has been as a blocker in the Aztec offense. In 2021 specifically, he was the 34th ranked blocking tight end out of 119 eligible candidates by PFF’s grading system.

As a pass-catcher, the 6’6” – 255 pound Bellinger still carved out a role with 96 career targets, catching 67% of those passes at 11.5 yards per catch along with five touchdowns. Per PFF, 55% of his career snaps came lined up in-line and 39% from the slot. He has some experience on the boundary as well.

For a closer look at Bellinger’s game, here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had to say about him in his pre-draft report:

"“Y tight end with an NFL build and adequate athletic ability but a need to keep the motor running hot in order to maximize his potential as a run blocker. While he could use a little more grit at the point of attack, additional technique work will improve Bellinger’s success rate as both a zone and man blocker. He won’t create any coverage mismatches, but he has reliable hands, can make contested catches and is fairly savvy working against zone. He’s a Day 3 prospect, but his consistency as a run blocker will determine whether he’s a short-term backup or longer-term contributor.”"

Although the traditional Y-tight end may not have as big of a role in the NFL as it once did, it is still an important element within the Matt LaFleur offense. As Zierlein alludes to, Bellinger likely isn’t a Day-1 starter, but he could potentially transition to a larger role in the coming years as he continues to develop.

While addressing the tight end position is a need, unless Tonyan is going to return, I would put more of an emphasis on finding a true pass-catching option given that the Green Bay Packers have Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis, and potentially Dominique Dafney and Marcedes Lewis as well—all of whom can hold their own as blockers.

But, with that said, the draft — especially on Day 3 — is about planning for the future, more so than filling immediate needs.