September 24, 2011; Pittsburgh,PA, USA: Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Tyler Eifert (80) runs after a pass reception against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Irish won 15-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE
The Cincinnati Bengals now have every draft pick under contract after the team reached an agreement with Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert:
The 10th and final #Bengals draft pick is in the fold as first-round TE @EiferTy85 has signed on the dotted line. #WhoDey
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 15, 2013
Eifert's four-year deal that is expected to be worth $8.256 million. Salary cap number this season is $1.501 million.
— Joe Reedy (@joereedy) July 15, 2013
This past season, Eifert helped lead the Fighting Irish to the National Title game as he registered 50 receptions for 685 yards and 4 touchdowns.
In his junior season, he had 63 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns, and broke the school’s TE single-season receptions and receiving yards record.
When the Bengals selected Eifert with the No. 21 overall pick, it was the most unexpected first-round picks this year, but Eifert was the draft’s consensus #1 TE prospect, and with Jermaine Gresham’s contract expiring in two years, they at least have a potential replacement lined up, as well as another dynamic weapon to add to an offense devoid of such.
The 6-foot-5 Eifert will quickly become a red-zone threat for a Bengals offense that reached the end-zone on just 7 of it’s last 17 red-zone possessions.
The best scouting report there is on Eifert is Matt Waldman’s in his Rookie Scouting Portfolio in which he ranks Eifert the #1 TE prospect and 15th-best player overall:
"STRENGTHS: Solid frame with fluid body control and ballskills…tough in a crowd, showing strong hands to make contested catches…nice job gaining position in coverage with very good footwork, showing good improvement in his routes…strong at the LOS to release and beat press…willing blocker and doesn’t shy from contact, flashing the aggressive take-on strength to sustain, seal and finish… a team-first guy and proudly wore the “C” on his jersey…dependable and productive.WEAKNESSES: Has done a nice job adding weight to his frame, but appears maxed out physically…lacks elite quickness in his breaks to consistently separate and is still growing as a route runner…good, but not great, straight-line speed…needs a few steps to get going and can be caught from behind by LBs…will have some dropped passes at times…still developing as a blocker and needs to use better angles…strength is average and needs developed…suffered a concussion in Sept. 2012.SUMMARY: Lined up out wide as a WR or in-line as a traditional TE at Notre Dame and is the type of target defensive coordinators must game plan against…fluid pass-catcher with vacuum hands and the hand/eye coordination to make tough catches…won’t create a lot of space, but he secures grabs with outstanding tracking and high-pointing ability…soft spoken guy, but an animal on the field with an aggressive demeanor both receiving and blocking…clear-cut top TE in this draft class."
Welcome to Cincinnati and the Who Dey Nation Tyler!
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