New England Patriots 2020 NFL Draft: Kyle Markway a solid blocking tight end

New England Patriots need to target a good blocking tight end in the later round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Spotting college football players in lowest rounds of the NFL draft and hitting big is a veritable gold mine for any NFL team. Teams like the Denver Broncos who hit big in the 6th round with Terrell Davis, a fabulous running back, and the New England Patriots who hit on the biggest lower round pick ever on a certain Greatest of All Time quarterback named Tom Brady in the sixth round come instantly to mind.

The problem is, how the heck do you do it? The answer is simple, you don’t. You just get lucky. So, who might be out there in a position of need for the News England Patriots who might just be a good fit, if not a massive hit like the two All-World guys mentioned above.

Again, it would be in a position of “need” for the Patriots. Now, what do the New England Patriots need in this draft?

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Well, help on the offensive line in starting talent and depth. Help at wide receiver, all over the place. And, help at tight end, just everywhere. That’s enough positions for now.

Where to begin. Well, the  New England Patriots tight end situation last season was to be kind – abysmal. I have pointed to Harrison Bryant as a possibility as a pass catching tight end.

Bryant’s a pass catcher in the mold of a Jacob Hollister. The Patriots let Hollister go to catch 41 passes for the Seattle Seahawks in only 11 games last season. That’s more catches according to Pro Football Reference than all the Patriots tight ends combined last season. Ouch!

How about a really good blocking tight end?

So, with that in mind, drafting a blocking tight end late in the draft after drafting a pass catcher has “sensible” written all over it. OK, so who might work? One who might, Kyle Markway of South Carolina.

Espn.com has Markway at 31 catches in 2019 at 6’5″ and 250 pounds. Not bad. But blocking is Markway’s forte. Profootballready.com in their effort to create a Rob Gronkowski-like tight end with all of his abilities selected Markway as the blocking aspect of the Rob Gronkowski clone. Here’s’ how they described Markway’s blocking ability:

"Blocking Ability: Kyle Markway (South Carolina)It was a bit of a surprise when redshirt junior tight end Kyle Markway opted to enter the 2020 NFL Draft rather than return to South Carolina for his final year of eligibility.He is a player scarcely discussed amongst the draft community. Just an average athlete, Markway does a lot of the dirty work that often goes unnoticed by the average fan.An NFL team, in contrary, are sure to value the hard nosed nature at the next level. In a 2020 tight end class that seems allergic to physical style and blocking prowess, Markway has the tools and mindset to profile as potentially the best blocker of the group.He possesses solid size at 6’4” 250 pounds and some decent power in his hands, but he makes his head way with his outstanding effort. The dude just gets after it in the run game."

Voila, here’s the complementary tight end blocker (who can actually catch a bit) to a pass catcher like Harrison Bryant for the newly revitalized Patriots’ tight end complement. With a plethora of 6th and 7th round picks, New England should get creative if he’s available.

Chances of landing a Rob Gronkowski in this or any other draft are slim. But, assembling a tight end group that might offer excellence in each area where he excelled, might be doable.