Mike McNeill Scouting Report

There may be better pass catching tight ends out there and better blocking tight ends, but few do both as well as Nebraska's Mike McNeill. The 6-4, 235 senior is part tight end, part wide receiver and part H-back. He has a unique versatility about him that makes him a very interesting player. However, that same versatility leaves some question as to where exactly he fits in the NFL.

McNeill has turned into a superb red zone target. As a sophomore he caught 32 passes for 442 yards and six touchdowns. The following year he caught 28 passes for 259 yards and four scores. The Nebraska passing game is quite limited this season and McNeill's numbers have suffered because of it. He has only caught six passes, but those six passes have been big plays resulting in a total of 130 yards and a trip to the end zone. Yet, McNeill is still in there blocking and that is what the Cornhuskers need with quarterback Taylor Martinez running all over the place.

McNeill's lack of flashiness (even by tight end standards) will keep him off the radar for now. Even his 6-4 frame is undersized for a red zone target in the NFL, but he keeps doing what his team needs him to do and doing it well. That will not translate into hearing his name called during the first couple of rounds of the draft, but some team will be getting a good value in the fourth or fifth round.

1/17 Update: McNeill's stock is slowly creeping up as NFL teams start to see the interesting things they can use him for. Even if the team already has a quality blocking tight end, McNeill can come in and be a pass catching tight end who can flex out and play out wide. McNeill's senior season was slowed by injury and he only caught 22 passes with one touchdown. Yet, the numbers will not matter as McNeill has already proven to be a quality pass catcher. In 2010 he got a lot of work in on his run blocking and that cannot hurt.