Background

NAME: Trey McBride

POSITION: Tight End

SCHOOL: Colorado State

YEAR: Senior

HEIGHT: 6’4”

WEIGHT: 260 lbs

HOMETOWN: Fort Morgan, Colorado 

HIGH SCHOOL: Fort Morgan

DOB: 11/22/99

McBride was a 3 star recruit out of Fort Morgan High School in the 2018 recruiting class. He received offers from the likes of Colorado, California, and Kansas State before ultimately deciding to commit to the Rams in October of 2017. 7 receptions his freshman year in limited playing time, but kept improving year after year to a 1,000 yard season in 2021. Was a former basketball and baseball player at Fort Morgan HS setting school records for career points in basketball as well as the most home runs and RBIs in baseball. Was an all conference player all four years of high school, as well as three out of his four years at Colorado State, including first team honors in 2019 and 2021.

Games Watched: 2019 – Wyoming, 2020 – Fresno State, 2021 – Vanderbilt

Trait Grades

Vertical Threat (65/80): Anywhere and everywhere you look, everyone is raving about McBride’s receiving ability and rightfully so. He has soft hands, a high catch radius, and the ability to track the ball. McBride might not be the fastest tight end, or the savviest route runner in the class, but he is a ball magnet and attracts the football everywhere on the field. His height creates a massive mismatch against most defenders in the secondary which helps him maintain control when he is going up and coming down with the football. 

Route Running (50/80): One of my areas of concerns for McBride is his route running. He seems to coast through a lot of his routes and not make a lot of clean cuts when breaking in and out. His speed slows down anytime he has to change direction, and he rounds a lot of turns instead of taking them cleanly. This isn’t always his fault as he was often used to find the open space in the middle of the field so there was a lot of space for him to work with, and very few defenders in space, but would still like to see him be a more refined route runner. 

Strength (65/80): McBride is a big target and it shows on tape in both the receiving and the run game. Because of his height, McBride is super strong at the catch point with excellent hands, and he can hold his own extremely well in the run game. Very rarely does he get blown by or ran over by edge rushers or linebackers in the run game. 

Ball Skills (70/80): Super soft hands, catches everything in sight. Saw very few drops on tape during my watch. Can catch from any angle and any body position regardless of where the ball is thrown he can make the adjustment needed to make a play. 

Contested Catch (60/80): Didn’t see a ton of opportunities for contested catches in the film that I had for McBride, so this is a little bit of a projection, but he most certainly can be a great red zone threat in the NFL. Was really good at high pointing the ball and making adjustments in the air on several throws along the sideline. Has great size to be able to get up and grab the ball in tight coverage, and strong hands to come down with the catch in those scenarios. 

Explosiveness (50/80): McBride is not a burner. He won’t beat anyone off the line with an initial burst, he won’t create a ton of separation with speed, and he won’t be the first one to finish in a foot race. His explosiveness comes with his incredible spatial awareness at finding the open field quickly and moving north to south. One thing I loved about McBride’s film when studying was how quickly he turned his head to move upfield. He isn’t the most agile or quickest on his feet, but he knows that and continuously makes the smart read in the open field. Basketball background also helps with his ability to get off the ground in jump ball situations and make his way up to the catch point.  

Blocking (70/80): There might not be a better blocking tight end in this class than Trey McBride. He not only is great when faced with initial contact on the line, but he embraces it and initiates it a lot of times. McBride plays with a massive edge and a maulers mentality when tasked with run blocking and oftentimes he is running guys over. He fights until the whistle is blown and never gives up on the play. Not only is he a powerful run blocker, but he is technically sound in this department as well. Lower leg drive is constant throughout his blocks when he initiates contact. The only place he has issues with is he sometimes gets lost during some push-pull concepts but nothing overly concerning at all. 

Run After Catch (65/80): Great awareness in space to find the soft spot in the defense and sit down in the zone. Was really hard to bring down in space because of his big frame. Won’t burn anybody with speed in space, but McBride’s ability to get into space untouched and uncovered and make some plays while in stride was fun to watch. Colorado State did a really good job at getting him the ball in the middle of the field quickly and letting him get YAC in the soft zones of the defense. 

Versatility (65/80): When watching McBride one of the things that stood out was the variety of places on the field that he lined up from, and not just lined up in, but excelled in. As a tight end he obviously was lined up in line with the tackles and sometimes in the slot as a stand up receiver, but McBride was also used out of the backfield and on the outside at times, and found ways to get open and be productive from all of those spaces 

Size/Frame (70/80): When looking at the tight ends in this draft class there are a few guys in this class that stand out, McBride being one of them. However, McBride is one of the few in this draft that has NFL size. He has the ideal height to be a red zone target as well as the strength to hold his own in both 1v1’s and in the run game. He is more filled out than some of his counterparts in this tight end class. 

Ceiling: 70/80

Red Flag Concern 10/10: No red flags were found during research. 

RAS Score: Incomplete

Tape Grade W/O RAS: 7.55

Tape Grade W/RAS: Incomplete

Round Grade: 2nd

Summary: McBride is such a versatile playmaker on multiple levels of the offense and is spoken about highly for a number of reasons. He can line up in line, in the backfield and in the slot to give the offense a number of different personnel looks. He was utilized on the outside, in the underneath screen game and over the middle all very frequently when used as a receiver. He plays with a nasty and physical edge that allows him to be great in run blocking. Was occasionally lost on some push-pull concepts but overall is a very good run blocker. As far as receiving, McBride has really soft hands that allow him to make grabs with ease. Saw very few drops. Is great in space, and easily finds the crease and hole in the defensive coverage. Not a great route runner, needs some refinement going in and out of cuts as he coasts through the majority of his routes. I do really like McBride and think he has a great chance of being the TE1 in this year’s class.

Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshBerg0611.