Draft Scout Snapshot: A closer look at the Bengals' picks: Round 1/21 - Tyler Eifert, TE, 6-2, 251, Notre Dame...The Bengals needed to add more playmakers and targets which they did with the selection of Eifert after their top two choices at safety were off the board. He played all the receiver spots at Notre Dame with 29 of his 140 catches at the school going for 20 yards or more. Will be the second tight end and a big target in the red zone. - The Sports Xchange
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04/28/13 - A closer look at the Bengals' picks: Round 1/21 - Tyler Eifert, TE, 6-2, 251, Notre Dame...The Bengals needed to add more playmakers and targets which they did with the selection of Eifert after their top two choices at safety were off the board. He played all the receiver spots at Notre Dame with 29 of his 140 catches at the school going for 20 yards or more. Will be the second tight end and a big target in the red zone. - The Sports Xchange
04/28/13 - Bengals add TE Eifert to offense...With the struggles of the offense during the stretch run last year, it is important for the Bengals to add playmakers during the draft. They started doing that during the first round when they took Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert with the 21st overall pick. Despite already having Jermaine Gresham, Eifert does add a different dynamic. "We feel he's a player who's going to add a lot to our football team in his first year, as a young player. He complements Jermaine and the other players we have," coach Marvin Lewis said. "He's got ability. To be moving around and doing a lot of things, show some flexibility, he's been a very productive receiver at Notre Dame."
Eifert became the Bengals' top option after their top two projected safeties went off the board -- Kenny Vaccaro 15th to the Saints and Eric Reid 18th to the 49ers. The Bengals already have a top tight end in Gresham, who has been to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons. But seeing the success that New England has had with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, adding Eifert gives offensive coordinator Jay Gruden more options. - The Sports Xchange
04/28/13 - Eifert lined up at every receiving spot at Notre Dame last season, including in the backfield. His 63 receptions for 803 yards (12.8 yards per catch) and five touchdowns last season led Football Bowl Subdivision tight ends. Of his 140 receptions the past three seasons at Notre Dame, 29 have gone for 20 yards or more. "Whether you have two tight ends in the game at a time, or three possibly, it creates problems for defenses - that personnel group - because they want to leave their base defense on the field, so you get him matched up with a linebacker, most likely," Gruden said. "He's a very fluid route-runner, great in space, and very good after the catch. We've got to bring him along slowly and install the playbook very slowly with him so he gets a good feel for it, and we'll branch off as we go along."
Eifert's biggest asset is catching the ball in traffic and he has a good first move where he can elude press coverage at the line of scrimmage. He is also a very good blocker. One of the knocks on him is that he needs more consistency as a route runner and doesn't have the quickness to gain separation from corners. - The Sports Xchange
04/28/13 - Eifert's other advantage is that he can line up in more spots while Gresham has been split out occasionally. "I think we're very similar players," said Eifert of being paired with Gresham. "Our ability to create mismatches and get down the field and put our hand in the dirt and block. I'm excited for the opportunity to play next to him."
Gresham is the first tight end in team history to have three straight seasons of 50 receptions or more but he struggled in the AFC wild-card loss to Houston with two drops during the first quarter. He was targeted seven times but had only two receptions for seven yards. Gresham has admitted in the past to having his own pressure of trying to keep up with members of his own draft class, which included Gronkowski, Hernandez and Jimmy Graham. So it will be interesting to see how he fares having another first-rounder at the same position. It marks the third time that the Bengals have selected a tight end in the first round - besides Gresham they took Mike Cobb in 1977. - The Sports Xchange
04/25/13 - DANE BRUGLER'S FINAL 2013 DRAFT BOARD: 15. TE Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame (6-6, 250, 4JR)...Eifert won't create a lot of separation, but he's a better blocker than given credit and one of the best at using his body aggressively to finish contested catches. - Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com
04/25/13 - ROB RANG'S FINAL 2013 NFL DRAFT BIG BOARD: 19. *Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame: Possessing soft hands and excellent body control, Eifert is the prototypical security blanket and he eased concerns about his straight-line speed with a more-than-respectable 4.68 in the 40 at 6-6, 250 pounds. Eifert isn't the second coming of Jimmy Graham but he has the length and speed to be a challenging matchup and is experienced in lining up wide, as well as in the traditional in-line role. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
03/29/13 - 2013 Notre Dame Pro Day: Notre Dame’s pro day on Tuesday featured 14 players, including first-round NFL draft hopefuls Manti Te’o, Tyler Eifert and Zeke Motta. And even though no NFL head coaches attended the event (held indoors on Field Turf), representatives from 29 NFL teams were there. Tyler Eifert, tight end (6-5 5/8, 256) - Eifert, who stood on his combine numbers, dropped the first ball thrown to him, then didn’t have another drop the rest of the day. He looks like a first-rounder. - Gil Brandt, NFL.com
02/23/13 - Eifert improved significantly as a run-blocker as a senior and now ranks among the better blockers at the position in this draft class. His most impressive traits, however, remain his vacuum hands and body control. Eifert was consistently able to adjust in space and make the contested grab. His timely grabs likely played a significant role in his landing the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end in 2012 despite the fact that his production actually dropped from his sophomore to junior seasons. Eifert enjoyed his most productive campaign in 2011, leading the nation's tight ends with 63 catches for 803 yards and five touchdowns. As the focus of the Irish passing attack a year later, Eifert caught 50 passes for 685 yards and four touchdowns in 2012.
As an acknowledgement of Eifert's abilities and his role in Notre Dame's offense, Alabama lined up All-American cornerback Dee Milliner on him when the the 6-5, 250-pounder lined up wide in the BCS title game. Eifert matched his season-high with six grabs in the game but was largely contained, registering "just" 61 yards in the 42-14 loss. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
02/23/13 - Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert may qualify as one of the early "winners" of the 2013 combine by posting an eye-popping times of 4.60 and 4.62 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Eifert, who also posted an impressive 35.5" vertical jump, may have secured his standing as a first round pick with his performance today. Eifert, frankly, was more impressive than Stanford's Zach Ertz, the only tight end NFLDraftScout.com currently ranks ahead of the Irish star. Ertz was unofficially credited with a 4.72 on his first attempt but improved to 4.65 on his second try. He posted a surprisingly pedestrian 30.5" vertical jump.
While the Stanford star's times were solid, Eifert could see significant boost after demonstrating better straight-line speed than many, including myself, had previously given him credit. Perhaps because of the fact that the 6-5, 250-pound Eifert was often lined up wide at Notre Dame (and thus covered by cornerbacks), he didn't appear to be this explosive.
As such, some will debate as to whether Eifert's 40-yard dash time is an example of manufactured speed that doesn't really translate to the field. Regardless of this debate, Eifert has an all-around game which projects nicely to the NFL. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
02/22/13 - Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert is widely considered one of the top tight end prospects in this draft class, and he might be the first player selected at the position. But as talented as he is, especially as a pass-catcher, Eifert understands that he needs to improve as a blocker. “Blocking has been what everyone said I was lacking,” Eifert said. “So I've spent a lot of time working on my blocking with coaches, working on the technique things. The little things like footwork and hand placement. It's the little things that make a big difference.”
Eifert is an athletic mover for his size (6-5 1/2 and 250 pounds) with outstanding hands, especially in contested situations. As Notre Dame's top receiving option on offense in 2012, Eifert wasn't asked to stay home and block as much, but when he did line up inline, he showed considerable improvement as both a run and pass blocker. “I think I'm better,” Eifert added. “I'm still not where I want to be. There is still a lot of room to improve. I've made a conscious effort to improve, and I think I have.”
Eifert is currently NFLDraftScout.com's No. 2 ranked tight end and is trying to be the fourth Notre Dame tight end drafted in the top two rounds since 2006, following Anthony Fasano (2006), John Carlson (2008) and Kyle Rudolph (2011). Those three Irish tight ends drafted before him were all taken in the second round, but Eifert has first-round aspirations and his predecessors are helping him handle what's to come. “I communicate with Rudolph a lot. And then Carlson and Fasano, I've talked to all three of those guys before,” Eifert said. “They offer football advice, but also just about life in the NFL, what it's like, how to adjust to it and things like that.” - Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com
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