Who is Zach Sudfeld?
With the current state of affairs for Patriot's tight ends and offense as a whole, he is someone Patriots fans may become very familiar with this upcoming season.Sudfeld was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 3rd, and has since impressed.
Back in June, NESN writer Doug Kyed identified Sudfeld as the "biggest winner" from OTAs:
As you can see from the mention of Hernandez there, this was long before he was embroiled in a murder case. So Sudfeld's potential to contribute has risen even further since his impressive performance in June.He had a great season at Nevada in 2012. He played in 13 games, and grabbed 45 receptions for 598 yards and 6 touchdowns (check out some highlights here). These numbers earned him a nomination as one of eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award, given each year to the best collegiate tight end in the country. The award was won by Tyler Eifert of Notre Dame.
He is also huge. At 6'7, 255 pounds, he is taller and equal in weight to Rob Gronkowski. To equate these two in terms of talent is unfair, but his size adds to his potential in the Patriots offense, particularly as a red-zone target.
There are some significant red flags with Sudfeld, however. He was hampered by injuries during his college career (another similarity he shares with Gronkowski). He missed his entire freshman season due to injury and only played in one game in 2011.These concerns are what largely led to him going undrafted, despite the fact that he also impressed at the combine (running the 40-yard dash in 4.71 seconds).
With the current holes in the Patriots offense, on the surface it looks like Sudfeld could be a major contributor if he can stay on the field.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
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| Sudfeld at Nevada |
Back in June, NESN writer Doug Kyed identified Sudfeld as the "biggest winner" from OTAs:
The rookie free agent tight end might have been the biggest winner out of the Patriots’ offseason schedule. Sudfeld got a ton of reps in the place of Rob Gronkowski (who was not spotted out of the field at all) and Aaron Hernandez (who was limited). Sudfeld got even more attention when Ballard had to sit out while his knee was still recovering and when he tweaked his ankle. Sudfeld appeared to get more time with Tom Brady than veterans Michael Hoomanawanui and Daniel Fells
As you can see from the mention of Hernandez there, this was long before he was embroiled in a murder case. So Sudfeld's potential to contribute has risen even further since his impressive performance in June.He had a great season at Nevada in 2012. He played in 13 games, and grabbed 45 receptions for 598 yards and 6 touchdowns (check out some highlights here). These numbers earned him a nomination as one of eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award, given each year to the best collegiate tight end in the country. The award was won by Tyler Eifert of Notre Dame.
He is also huge. At 6'7, 255 pounds, he is taller and equal in weight to Rob Gronkowski. To equate these two in terms of talent is unfair, but his size adds to his potential in the Patriots offense, particularly as a red-zone target.
There are some significant red flags with Sudfeld, however. He was hampered by injuries during his college career (another similarity he shares with Gronkowski). He missed his entire freshman season due to injury and only played in one game in 2011.These concerns are what largely led to him going undrafted, despite the fact that he also impressed at the combine (running the 40-yard dash in 4.71 seconds).
With the current holes in the Patriots offense, on the surface it looks like Sudfeld could be a major contributor if he can stay on the field.
@LiamPCunningham
@PatriotsLife
