2018 Prospect Preview: Penn State TE Mike Gesicki lives to go deep

• Penn State senior TE Mike Gesicki will often beat defenders on short and intermediate routes, but he is arguably at his best when targeted deep down the field. He led all draft-eligible tight ends with seven catches for 301 yards on deep passes (20-plus yards) in 2016.
• Largely affected by his deep-catching prowess, Gesicki averaged 2.20 yards per route run (YPRR) last season, which ranked No. 4 in the 2018 tight end class.
• Gesicki totaled 282 yards after the catch, the most of any returning Big Ten tight end in 2016.

To round out his game, Gesicki will need to improve as a blocker. He had the third-lowest percentage of positively-graded run blocks among draft-eligible tight ends last season.