20 Jun Preseason Scouting Notes: Shaun Beyer, TE, Iowa

Posted at 13:00h in 2020 Scouting Reports by
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Redshirt Senior | 6’4” 244 lbs | Shellsburg, IA 

 

A block-first tight end with a solid anchor who is looking to become more of a threat in the pass game

 

Overview:

Shaun Beyer bounced back from a torn meniscus in 2018 last season, earning his first and only starts of his college career. While playing under OC Brian Ferentz, Beyer has been a part of a complicated, yet simple pro-style offensive scheme. Ferentz’s scheme consists of 23 different personnel groupings, but the mantra stays the same. “Do whatever it takes to win the game.” Beyer is a perfect example of what Ferentz wants in his offensive players. He does the work that is not shown in the box score, mostly lining up as an extra lineman on the LOS while rarely flexing out to the slot.

Strengths:

– Excels at sealing off the edge. He has a knack for keeping defensive ends preoccupied long enough for his running back to get to the sideline and turn upfield
– Finishes his blocks through the ground
– Reliable blocker on third down and short yardage situations
– Can create separation. While he may not receive many targets in the pass game, he knows how to get open even with his lack of speed
– Uses good head fakes at the line of scrimmage and puts his defender on his back shoulder to box them out.
– Strong hands. Does not allow hands/arms to be knocked away when in pass protection.
– Will go up and make contested catches
– Can adjust/contort his body to make catches when the ball is behind him or under-thrown.
– Relies on his instincts to cut his route short and sit down in zones to be a target for his quarterback

Areas To Improve:

– Release from LOS needs improvement. He isn’t the fastest when coming off the line of scrimmage, and sometimes he hesitates when taking his first steps
– He can outrun linebackers, but he struggles to beat defensive backs of stronger competition down the field
– Does not have natural hands or ball skills and makes most of his catches with his body
– He sits and waits for the ball to come to him on a majority of his routes. Needs to be proactive and go towards the ball
– Lacks the targets and receptions to be considered a mismatch for opposing defenses
– Struggles to break tackles when turning upfield
– Route tree mainly consists of shorter, simpler routes
– Has a hard time anchoring down and engaging with defensive linemen who are of better competition

Injury History:

– Tore meniscus in a 2018 practice during a non-contact drill (missed final 4 games of the season)

Projection:

Beyer has not been involved in the receiving game very much, so it is difficult to determine if he will be a productive receiver at the next level. He has shown that he can be a consistent blocker on third down and short yardage situations against average competition. He takes pride in his ability to seal off the edge for his running back and finish his blocks to the ground. However, once the competition gets stronger, he starts to struggle more. Since he tends to struggle as the competition gets better, he projects to be an end of the roster blocking tight end in the NFL.

What To Watch For In 2020:

Even without catching a pass throughout his first three seasons of college football, Beyer has been compared to Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson on more than one occasion. Is it his athleticism? His overall size? His knowledge of the game? Or maybe a combination of all three? Seeing as he has very few receptions and they all came last season (2019), Beyer is going to have to prove he can be a reliable target on the field. Is he disciplined enough to be a consistent blocker at the next level? Can he improve his release coming off the line of scrimmage? He needs to buckle down and put in the work throughout the coming months to show everyone he is more than just your average blocking tight end.

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