STRENGTHS
Mark could be as impactful at the next level as Chiefs Travis Kelce. He is a
pass catching machine with hands as soft as a baby’s bottom to catch a ball and
the athleticism to adjust to the ball in the air. He is very smart and reads
zone defenses as he runs his routes adjusting and changing his routes when
needed to get open. He can make contested catches and in the red zone is a touch
down maker extraordinaire. Mark plays in the slot and is a match up night mare
because of his size and speed. If you need to move the chains on third down,
Mark will be the target and everyone in the stadium knows it and he still will
catch the ball and move those chains. If your team is looking for a pass
catching Tight End who can be moved around your offense and will become the
reason your offense can score in the red zone… than selecting Mark early in this
draft would make a lot of sense.
CONCERNS
Mark is not used much for inline blocking but from what little I have seen from
the 2016 season he uses good techniques and does a solid job but… I would like
to see more passion and aggressiveness and quickness getting into his blocks
faster. Mark also has a medical issue that may scare a lot teams off from
drafting him. He has the physical challenge of having Type I Diabetes. He was
diagnosed at age 9 and must track his blood-sugar levels daily. There have been
NFL players who have dealt with this issue over the years, Jay Cutler has type 1
and Patrick Peterson has type 2 are two that come to mind. Mark is in good shape
and has dealt with this issues much longer than Jay and Patrick have who were
not diagnosed until later in their lives and that is a very big difference.
BOTTOM LINE
Mark has 1st round talent but there will be some Head Coaches, owners and GM’s
who might not want to deal with the medical unknowns of having Mark on the team
because playing in the NFL for a 16 game schedule will require physical stamina
that Mark has not had to deal with in the past. I have no problems with Mark’s
medical history and his talent and potential to impact. After all, you’re
talking about a player who can impact your team the way Travis Kelce impacts for
the Chiefs. That being said, Mark’s situation requires a business decision.
Remember that I always tell you not to believe that saying “business is not
personal” because business is always personal…it just depends to what degree.
For Mark this business decision is very personal but for the teams of the NFL it
is just about a calculated cost effective decision. For me, Mark’s talent
outweighs any cost effective B S your lawyers or capologist can up with. Isn’t
this why you have trainers on you team? But that’s just me…Talking To Myself™.
Drew Boylhart JAN.
2018
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