Overview
Position: Tight end
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 248 pounds
School: Wisconsin Badgers
Combine Performance Data
Bench press: 14 reps
Troy Fumagalli 2018 NFL Draft Profile
At an early age, Troy Fumagalli was forced to have the index finger on his left hand amputated. It was due Amniotic Band Syndrome, a birth defect where a fibrous band wraps around a baby’s limb in the mother’s womb, causing it to improperly develop. It’s the same condition that affected UCF linebacker, Shaquem Griffin. But neither player allowed it to hold them back and both have become standout football players at their respective positions.
In Fumagalli’s case, it came at tight end. The Aurora, IL native walked on at Wisconsin and began his on-field career after redshirting in 2013. Though he only made 14 catches for 187 yards, he saw action in all 14 games and started two for the Badgers that year. And his efforts on game day and in practice were enough to earn him a scholarship beginning the following season. He caught his first touchdown pass that year, breaking a 0-0 deadlock against Nebraska in a game Wisconsin eventually won on a last-second field goal.
Fumagalli had an early coming out party of sorts in 2016. He caught seven passes for 100 yards in a season-opening upset win over fifth-ranked LSU at Lambeau Field. That season ended just as impressively as it began for him. Against Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl, his fourth-quarter touchdown reception helped seal the program’s fourth 11-win season since 2010, earning him game MVP honors in the process. Fumagalli followed that up with a career-high four touchdowns in 2017, a season which saw the Badgers win 13 games for the first time in school history. He combined for 1,127 receiving yards as a junior and a senior, finishing second among Big Ten tight ends in yardage to Penn State’s Mike Gesicki both years.
Strengths
- does a good job making catches in traffic;
- possesses soft hands and catches pretty much everything thrown his way;
- an effective separator on route releases;
- exposed to pro-style schemes and route concepts in college;
- gets low and uncorks hips to achieve solid leverage when blocking;
- efficient mover across the line of scrimmage executing wham/slice blocks;
- doesn’t need perfectly thrown balls to make catches.
Weaknesses
- ideal size for a tight end but a bit thin below the hips;
- athleticism doesn’t particularly jump out on tape;
- route transitions are too rounded;
- defenders can crowd him at the top of routes;
- has issues getting square to his blocking target;
- speed rush can beat him to the edge in pass protection;
- narrow wingspan may limit his catch radius.
NFL Comparison: Brent Celek
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles
Projection: Fifth round
Bottom Line
A reliable pass-catcher who emerged as one of the Big Ten’s top tight ends over the past two years, Fumagalli boasts a good combination of playmaking and blocking ability. What might affect his ceiling at the next level is his overall athleticism which is a bit lacking compared to Gesicki and other highly regarded prospects at the position. That likely pushes him to day three of the draft. But overall, Fumagalli will add value to any team in need of tight end depth and he should be able to immediately compete for a roster spot as a number two or three option.
