Adam Trautman Roster Profile
Adam Trautman was drafted by the New Orleans Saints with the 41st pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Trautman, played his college football at Dayton, where he contributed for four years.
In this series we will examine:
- Trautman’s prospect profile from our small school expert Rebecca Rennie
- his productivity in college
- his potential opportunities in the NFL in the upcoming season
Prospect Profile
Pros: Featuring an ideal frame and appealing combination of size, strength and athleticism, Trautman looks the part. He ticks off all the boxes in terms of measurables. An outstanding mover, the Flyers prospect has excellent upfield burst off the line with quickness over short areas and long speed to stretch the field. An ascending prospect, Trautman shows rawness but improved over his time in college. He finished with his most productive season as a Senior (70 receptions for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns). Able to offer a complete game at the position, Trautman moves around the formation from inline and the backfield, to the slot and out wide. As a receiver, Trautman is most impressive at the catch point, consistently winning in jump ball situations. Using his catch radius and big frame advantageously, he positions himself well, high pointing with timing and a fantastic vertical leap. His effort and aggression as a blocker are clearly evident. While doing so against overmatched competition, his dominance to drive defenders out of frame makes that difference more pronounced. Competition level wasn’t the best, but his Senior Bowl exploits eased concerns.
Cons: While he impresses in all facets of playing the position, there is some rawness in technique and overall execution. That isn’t a big surprise given the position switch from QB earlier in his playing days. Dominating in the Pioneer League is one thing, and there’s a chance that he takes some time to adjust to the significant step up in competition. That said, evidence presented at the Senior Bowl suggests he should do fine. Route running is a key area requiring refinement. Trautman was able to separate comfortably in the FCS through his athletic prowess. There is some footwork inefficiency and wasted motion as he breaks many of his routes. He is also a little green in his spacial awareness, including working through traffic over the middle of the field. It should be noted though, that Trautman never seemed to coast on his physical advantages over those he took the field with over his college career.
Rebecca Rennie: “A convert to the position from quarterback, Trautman is still progressing as a tight end. The effectiveness shown as both a receiver and blocker despite being a work-in progress is encouraging, with exciting upside. With his frame, athleticism and traits, he deserves to be in consideration as the best tight end in the 2020 class”
NFL COMPARISON: DALLAS GOEDERT
College Stats
Opportunities at the next level
Trautman could find opportunities immediately with the New Orleans Saints. He has initially been listed third on the depth chart behind Jared Cook and Josh Hill, but Hill at the very least is someone he should pass with ease. The Saints have shown a tendency to use multiple tight packages at times and Trautman on the field with Cook alongside Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara could be very dynamic.
Another element to throw in here when discussing Trautman’s skill set is the conversion from quarterback. Taysom Hill has just received a lucrative two-year deal as a utility piece. Hill often lines up as a tight end, but has also been used to distribute the ball. Trautman could offer the Saints a similar skill set and putting him on the field alongside Hill could have teams struggling to know exactly where to look.
At the very least, Trautman should have an opportunity to see the field in a limited role this season, with Cook only seeing 47% of the offensive snaps for the Saints despite playing 14 games. Looking longer-term, the Saints have potential outs on both Cook’s and Hill’s deals after this season. This means that we could see Trautman either assume the versatility role of Hill or the number one tight end role of Cook as early as 2021.
Ben Rolfe
Head of NFL Content
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