Ok, so not super thrilled with taking a blocking TE/H-Back in the fourth...
“Wesco's a slow-mover but a wide body at just under 6-4 and 270 pounds, so he holds up as a blocker. He showcased flashes of excellent balance after the catch in 2018 at West Virginia.”
Route-Running - Rudimentary route runner who was utilized on hooks, quick outs and the occasional seam run, mostly on play-action pop passes. Not a nuanced route runner and will need to develop his route tree significantly in order to be more impactful in this role in the NFL. Lack of athletic traits will prob impact his development in this area. Bends his patterns to find holes in zone. Needs to keep moving and run away from man coverage.
Ball Skills - 28 career catches, 26 of which came last season. Almost all simple, underneath grabs or schemed catches that involved little extra effort. Size and length to box out at the catch point, made one grab against TCU with a linebacker all over him. Sick one-handed grab in space vs. Oklahoma State. Natural hands and has snagged a few away from his body. Also suffered a couple drops last season on just a handful of targets.
Speed - Ran 4.89 and plays like it. Won’t threaten the seam or vertical portions of the field against man coverage. Slow starter who plays at one speed (slow).
Run Blocking - Love his demeanor and energy. Gets his hands inside and has the power in his lower half to drive defenders off the ball even if his form isn’t textbook. Gets down on linebackers and can latch and drive at the second level. When defenders get optimal hand position before he can, still finds leverage points to regain position and seal off lanes. Occasionally over-extended and will fall off contact or allow more athletic defenders to dodge around him.
Contested Catch - One contested catch on one contested target (that I saw watching basically every game) during his senior year at WVU, so only the Lord knows.
YAC - I don’t know how a tight end this slow and incapable of elusiveness makes things happen after the catch, but here we are. Obviously not a make-you-miss type in space, nor is he a home run threat, but incredibly tough to bring down and has really good balance through contact. Withstands shots and carries defenders with him for extra yards. Carnage of missed/broken tackles left in his wake is eye-popping at times.
Separation Quickness - Nada. One speed tight end who can’t sink his hips or get out of breaks quickly. Rarely ran hard-breaking routes and was an easy cover when he did. Significant gear down to change directions.
Pass Protection - Won’t get pushed around, even by bigger opponents. Can match the strength of most defensive ends and has excellent grip strength to latch and drive up the arc. Technique and posture will need a little polishing up, but tools to be very good in this area.
Competitive Toughness - Physical and mean in his playing demeanor. Gets after opponents and will finish when given the opportunity.
Athleticism/Size - Huge tight end that could pass for an undersized tackle. Big and strong, but sluggish feet and not going to beat anyone athletically. Slow and lacks explosiveness in all phases of the game.
BEST TRAIT – YAC
WORST TRAIT – Speed/Athleticism
RED FLAGS – None
Wesco is an ideal depth tight end who can run block, pass protect and fight like a madman post-catch. His toughness and physicality can find a home in any locker room, and although he needs some technical work, Wesco can contribute early in 12 and 13 personnel packages. There is little upside or hope of him ever being a no. 1 tight end, but Wesco should have a long career off the bench as a reliable backup.
Round Grade: 5th
Routes - Very simple concepts were on his plate as a receiver at West Virginia. Was asked to make himself available in space, often with delayed releases. Needs major growth in terms of developing deception and learning basic route running nuances. Doesn’t have the juice needed to be a consistent separator. A team isn’t going to invest in Wesco because of his route running prowess or upside.
Hands - Minimal production provided a small sample size to evaluate from. Three drops on 36 career targets. Has shown the ability to firmly squeeze the football outside his frame mixed with other reps where his hands aren’t properly set to catch the football.
Ball Skills - Has made a few plays through contact where he did well to establish his frame and snag it. Wasn’t provided many opportunities to track the football and adjust - most of his work was pitch and catch type situations.
YAC Ability - He isn’t going to create for himself with twitch, agility and burst but his physicality and competitive demeanor makes him a tall order to get down on the ground. Capable of dragging tacklers and maximizing his touches. Might be worst given short-yardage carries at the next level.
Play Speed - He’s slow - no way around it. Doesn’t have the juice to stress defenses vertically or run away from coverage. Isn’t going to rip off chunks of yards and create for himself after the catch. A team isn’t investing in Wesco because he is fast.
Play Strength - He’s a bear that executes with a finishers mentality. Blasts open gaps as a lead blocker from the backfield and wants to put his opponent on their back. Powerful dude at the catch point, shielding off defenders and not getting bumped.
In-line Blocking - Does well to place his hands, leverage his hips, accelerate his feet and drive open run lanes. Has some issues falling off blocks and getting his weight too far forward, mostly on account of being too aggressive. Has the functional strength and mindset to exchange power in the trenches. Holds his own in pass protection.
Space Blocking - Love his ability to climb to the second level and seal pursuit, operating under control and taking great angles. Effective on long pulls and lead-blocking off-tackle. Makes impact blocks lining up in the backfield and blasting open holes. Takes good angles, arrives on schedule, positions himself under control and allows his play strength to take over.
Versatility - Doesn’t offer a well-rounded skill set as a receiver but he can be a security blanket and provide an available target as a security blanket. Profiles as a versatile, impact blocker from anywhere on the formation.
BEST TRAIT - Blocking
WORST TRAIT - Speed
RED FLAGS - None
Wesco doesn’t project as an impact receiving threat in the NFL and his usage was limited in college but he can handle basic responsibilities. A team won’t be investing in Wesco for his receiving potential or athletic profile. With that said, he does have exciting potential as a blocker who can execute from all over the formation. Wesco is a powerful blocker with good technique and a maulers mentality that makes him highly effective whether he’s lined up in-line, flexed or in the backfield. Wesco should be a quality special teamer and valuable subpackage contributor.
Round Grade - Fifth Round Value
Route Running -His route role at West Virginia was limited to shallow crossers, flat routes and the occasional leak up the seam in play action passing. He doesn't have a great feel for when to sit down or square up to the line, but he did improve as the season went on here.
Hands -Strong hands. Occasional glimpses of good hands on display as a receiver (TCU) in contested situations. He didn't have a problem extending to catch the ball over the shoulder, either (Tennessee). He's not been given the chance to shine but shows no restrictions.
Versatility -He's not a receiving weapon and no one is going to mistake him for a seam-buster. What he can do, however is be effective in play action passing working the flats. Like his blocking skills from both a pass pro and run fit perspective.
Contested Catch Ability -His hands and arm length give him the benefit of the doubt here despite limited looks. His ability to box out defenders was shown from time to time and he did well to maintain his concentration as he tucked the ball away, into his frame.
Run After Catch Ability -There's zero burst here, at all. He struggles to accelerate out of his stance or out of his breaks, which will force issues creating separation needed to be a RAC threat. He'll rumble up the sideline and show good toughness and willingness to scrap with DBs.
Power At POA -He'll do a really nice job of getting firm positioning before delivering a blow with his hands. He'll do a nice job of moving the feet and pushing for real-estate, he's capable of collapsing down on wash blocks and can really jolt some bodies with his hook.
Competitive Toughness - He's a blue collar player, through and through. Tough, hard nosed style who has been tasked with doing a lot of dirty work without reward. He does great work in the trenches and has the physical frame to stand toe to toe with DEs.
Flexibility - He does appear to have a little stiffness to him. He isn't the most natural to break with suddenness and he offers minimal wiggle after the catch. He coils well through his hips in inline blocking scenarios however to play with both anchor and coil.
Balance -He'll get overextended when trying to lock out and establish himself against heavier defenders on the edge, opening himself to get snatched or pulled off his hips. When discipline, he offers good posture and mobility to keep himself tall.
Football Intelligence -He comes from a college spread, but simultaneously he does bring some attractive qualities. It's hard not to like his blocking versatility and the elementary receiving role that he can fall into as he's more versed in his routes.
BEST TRAIT - Power at POA
WORST TRAIT - RAC Ability
BEST FILM - TCU (2018)
WORST FILM - Oklahoma (2018)
RED FLAGS - None
Trevon Wesco has the look and feel of a flexible offensive weapon. Will he ever be a potent pass catcher and impact scorer? No, likely not. But where Wesco shines is when he's tasked with working out of the backfield, he'll thrive when folding across the set to challenging EDGE defenders in seal blocks or when slipping out past a linebacker to catch a quick ball in the flat and rumble for yardage. A reliable blocker, Wesco should be able to find some reps quickly in the NFL.
Round Grade - Sixth Round