Green Bay Packers: 3 Early Round Tight End Draft Prospects
By Kenny Jilek
Green Bay Packers Draft Prospect #2 – Isaiah Likely
Isaiah Likely is an interesting case because of a somewhat strange physical profile and the fact that he’s a product of a Coastal Carolina offense that is unlike any other.
He is 6’4″ 245 pounds, which profiles very similar to McBride, but doesn’t have quite the long speed with a 4.80 40-time, which is around average for tight ends. He did test very poorly in the 3-cone and 20-yard shuttle drills, which measure agility and change of direction. What he did extremely well in were the explosion metrics of vertical and broad jump where he got 36″ and 10′ 3″ respectively.
As far as the Coastal Carolina scheme, something he did a lot was act as a lead blocker when they would run their speed option to the outside. This isn’t something the Green Bay Packers do and their tight ends are usually in line or coming across the formation to block the backside of the play. What he did a lot of is a bit like what Josiah Deguara does for Green Bay now, so they’d have to find him a different role here. Like McBride, he did split out a lot as well and could do some of that here.
When he is in that lead blocker role in space, he’s a very hit or miss blocker. If the defender plays it well, he will usually whiff completely, but if they’re backing up at all, he’ll knock them off their feet and be the catalyst for a huge touchdown run. His prospects as an in-line blocker aren’t great for a potential role with Green Bay because he’s not always the most physical guy at the line of scrimmage.
As a receiver, he runs some really great routes, and using him in the slot is something that Coastal Carolina did really well. He also has exceptional hands and a great catch radius to go get a lot of throws that others might not be able to. He also has a good burst of speed after the catch, which is really those explosion numbers showing up on the field. He could be a versatile piece for the Green Bay Packers and has the size to be a traditional tight end as well, but the Packers will have to see potential for both to pick him in the draft.