In the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected tight end Gerald Everett. The 6-3, 245-pound South Alabama product had little problem creating yards after the catch (YAC) in college.
Everett forced nine more missed tackles than any other college tight end last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He led the nation in forced missed tackles over the past two years even though five tight ends had more receptions. In 2014, he ranked fourth in the nation while only having 17 receptions.
According to PFF, of Everett's 1,593 career reception yards, 63.5% of those yards came after the catch.
Player Comparison: Antonio Gates
PFF excerpt:
Everett may never reach Gates' Hall of Fame status, but both players entered the NFL draft with limited football experience after growing up on the basketball court rather than the football field. Everett, like Gates, is just exploding with athletic ability at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds as he enters the draft, but his technique – both as a blocker and as a route-runner – needs to be polished up, likely due mostly to a lack of experience.
Bottom line:Everett is big, athletic and elusive with the ball in his hands. He provides an impressive presence in the middle of the field and all his physical traits, along with his basketball instincts, make him capable of shielding defenders away at the catch point even when he doesn't create a ton of separation. He needs to clean up his technique a bit, but he shows an obvious willingness to block and it'd be tough to find an instance on film where he shies away from contact. He's one of the more raw tight ends in the class – maybe the most — but his physical tools are so great that with some good NFL coaching he has the chance to be one of the better tight ends in all of football.
