Alize Mack an Intriguing Option at TE for Packers in 2023

When it comes to the 2022 Green Bay Packers, they are pretty well set at the tight end position. In fact, depending on how many tight ends they choose to roster, Matt LaFleur may end up having to make a difficult decision.

Under LaFleur, Green Bay has rostered four tight ends on the initial 53-man each year. Now, not that they can’t keep five this season, they very well could, given the makeup of the tight end room. However, if the Packers do that, then they’ll be taking away from another position—which again, could lead to a tough decision.

Once fully healthy, we know that Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, and Josiah Deguara will be on the roster. Then there is Dominique Dafney and Tyler Davis, both of whom will be competing for that fourth roster spot.

Dafney fills a Deguara-like role as an H-back and has been a stout blocker who could become a core special teams player under Rich Bisaccia. Davis, meanwhile, has been raved about all offseason from LaFleur, Bisaccia, and Brian Gutekunst.

Ultimately how many tight ends the Packers roster will be determined by how Dafney and Davis perform this summer but considering what both can bring to special teams, I do believe that rostering five tight ends is in play.

So, I’ve said all of that to say this: although the Packers currently have eight tight ends on the 90-man roster, unless your name is Tonyan, Lewis, Deguara, Dafney, or Davis, then the practice squad is going to be the ceiling for the other tight ends on this team.

With that said, roster building is a 365-day-a-year job, as Gutey likes to say, and GMs should always be operating with the future in mind.

If we look ahead to 2023, the only tight end under contract currently is Deguara. Of course, that doesn’t mean that some of the other tight ends can’t be brought back in some capacity, but in all likelihood, this unit will look a bit different a year from now.

Alize Mack is an Intriguing Option at tight end for Packers in 2023 and beyond.

This could create an opportunity for those other tight ends on the roster currently who aren’t going to end up on the 53-man roster in 2022. In order to have a chance at making the team in 2023, it begins by performing well this summer, and one very intriguing name to keep your eyes on for the future is Alize Mack, who brings size, athleticism, and a steady pass-catching presence.

Mack was signed earlier this offseason and was selected in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL draft by New Orleans after spending his college career at Notre Dame. At this time, Mack has no regular-season snaps in the NFL.

During his Notre Dame career, which included three seasons of playing time, Mack caught 62% of his 103 targets at 10.6 yards per catch with four touchdowns, according to PFF ($$).

However, his final 2018 season was by far his most productive. That year, Mack hauled in nearly 70% of his 49 targets at over 10 yards per catch with three scores. Most of his targets that season came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.

As a pass-blocker, Mack graded out well by PFF’s metrics during his final two seasons, including ranking 25th out of all tight ends in that category in 2017. As a run blocker, however, he did not grade well at all.

In a pre-draft scouting report by Joe Marino of The Draft Network, he mentioned that blocking may not be Mack’s strong suit in the NFL, but where he can leave his mark is as a pass-catcher.

With Mack now entering his fourth NFL season, this report doesn’t carry a ton of weight, but I still find it worth looking at, given that we haven’t yet seen Mack in a regular-season game.

"“As a receiver, Mack offers plenty of appeal. His size, ball skills, hands and fluidity make him a matchup problem that can win both flexed and in-line. While Mack shows plenty of fight, there are major technical flaws and lack of play strength when forecasting him as a blocker at the next level. While he may never be a starter, Mack should be an effective sub package player at the next level that provides his offense a potent weapon in the passing game.”"

Listed at 6’5″ – 247 pounds, Mack tested well during the pre-draft process, which included a 4.7-second 40-time and a shuttle of 4.34-seconds. Overall, his Relative Athletic Score (RAS) was 8.54 on the 10-point scale.

In this Packers offense, Mack could provide a presence that can line up both as a traditional tight end as well as from the slot — which is important in LaFleur’s system — and a reliable pass-catching threat over the middle of the field.

As I already mentioned, Mack will need to begin laying the groundwork this summer so that he can stick around on the practice squad. That, of course, includes performing well on offense, including as a blocker, but also on special teams, where Mack had only 82 snaps in college.

Tonyan, Dafney, and Davis are all examples of either undrafted players, or a Day 3 pick in Davis’ case, that needed time to develop, but all have become contributors on this Packers team–with Davis potentially taking on a larger role in his second year with Green Bay.

The tight end position is one of the more difficult transitions to make going from college to the NFL, and even among the top prospects, it may take a year or two before they make a significant impact. Not that Mack falls into that category, but the point is that time is often required at this position, and the Packers have shown that they will provide that.