Will Mallory NFL Draft Scouting Report

TE, Miami Hurricanes

Miami tight end Will Mallory projects as a quality depth option at the tight end position in the NFL. Mallory offers sturdy but unspectacular play in all phases of the position, making him someone who is ideal to fulfill a niche role on a roster and serve as a complementary piece of an offense as a TE2 or a TE3.

Originally a 3-star recruit, Mallory played his high school football at Providence High School in Jacksonville. He stayed in the state of Florida for his playing career in college, spurning schools like Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State along the way. NFL bloodlines boost Mallory’s outlook as a second-generation Division I player—his father played at Michigan and coached in the NFL. Several other extended family members have coaching ties that span across both the NFL and the NCAA, leaving him the product of a football family that should have little issue assimilating to the pro football lifestyle.

Mallory is predominantly a pass-catcher who has provided Miami with versatility in his alignments, allowing him to be a contributor as both a player in the progression and as a blocker. Mallory is at his best in the latter when Miami has implemented the screen game or called upon him as a point man on quick RPO throws versus numbers on the perimeter. In these situations, he showcases effective mobility and effective hand strength and pop to secure a block outside versus perimeter defenders. He’s also been the target of a number of designed trick plays that set up defenses with trickery—he was the target on numerous double-reverse passes to manufacture big gains and free runs through the secondary. His ability to make defenses pay is sufficient for a big-bodied player—you see good open-field vision. That isn’t necessarily a surprise given his background as a former high school receiver. But the appeal as a pass-catcher comes with limitations and you don’t often see him running away from leverage or creating separation on his own. Instead, Mallory has done well to find soft spaces against zone coverage as well, running sit and stick routes that uncover for on-time throws versus pressure for his passer.

That said, if Mallory is going to serve as a Y tight end in the NFL or expand his role as a player, he’s going to need further development in the blocking roles of the position to become a more assertive in-line blocker. The perimeter play is good in screen action as a flexed player but his work in the box and when fitting defensive linemen provides much in the way of improvement opportunities. Mallory gets bubbled and collapsed too often, even when working laterally to climb to second-level defenders. Given that I don’t think he’s overly dynamic, I’m concerned about his ceiling and am not certain that he’s fit to drastically change his body composition, which leaves some limitations that a team will need to negotiate when drafting him and adding him into the mix. 

Expectations for Mallory should be rooted in the understanding that he’s not a mismatch player and not someone that is going to dictate coverages. As such, he’s a complementary player who should find an NFL home if placed in that role. 

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Blue-collar player who fulfills plenty of odd jobs in the offense
• Firm hands
• Sufficient build to play in-line

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Functional strength limits ceiling as a blocker
• Functional athleticism limits ceiling as a passing weapon
• Needs to be more reliable in contested situations

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 6′ 4 1/2”

Weight: 239 lbs

Arm Length: 32 1/4”

Hand Size: 9 3/8”

Athletic Testing (NFL Combine):

40-yard Dash: 4.54s

Vertical Jump: 36.5”

Broad Jump: 10′ 1”

Short-Shuttle: TBD

Three-Cone: TBD

Bench Reps: 20 reps

Ideal Role: TE2 or TE3

Scheme Fit: Modern spread offense

TDN Consensus Grade: 70.00/100 (Fifth-Round Value)

• Crabbs Grade: 70.00/100 

Written By: Kyle Crabbs

Exposures: Texas A&M (2022), North Carolina (2022), Virginia Tech (2022), Clemson (2022), Pittsburgh (2022)

Will Mallory NFL Draft Scouting Report. Add him to your big board here.