Jared Pinkney Overview
Position: Tight End
Height: 6’-4”
Weight: 257 pounds
School: Vanderbilt
NFL Combine Performance Data
40 Yard Dash: 4.96 seconds
Bench Press: 23 reps
Jared Pinkney 2020 NFL Draft Profile
After five years with the Vanderbilt Commodores, tight end Jared Pinkney is taking his talents to the NFL level. The redshirt senior is coming off a disappointing campaign, recording 20 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns. This represents a dramatic drop from his 2018 statistics, although it’s worth noting that he played 186 fewer snaps as a senior than as a junior.
Pinkney originally joined Vanderbilt as a three-star recruit. A Georgia native, Pinkney took a medical redshirt in 2015 before riding the bench for the majority of 2016. As a redshirt sophomore, Pinkney recorded 22 receptions for 279 yards and three touchdowns on 40 targets. His true breakout season came in 2018, when he recorded 50 receptions for 770 yards and seven touchdowns.
Strengths
- Big bodied tight end with ideal frame for the position;
- Has a nose for finding the open spots in zone coverage;
- Solid red zone threat, as demonstrated in 2018;
- Surprisingly agile on cuts for a player of his build;
- Large catch radius with the ability to adjust to off-target throws;
- Knows how to use hands/shoulder to create separation at the top of routes.
Weaknesses
- Dramatic drop in production and play in 2019;
- Atrocious run blocker – constantly pushed around in the trenches;
- Doesn’t attack the football – waits for the pass to come to him;
- Slow, although probably not as slow as his 40-yard dash would indicate;
- Won’t stretch the defense vertically;
- One-speed runner with no added burst after the catch.
NFL Comparison: Anthony Fasano
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins
Projection: Round 5
Bottom Line on Jared Pinkney
Like most of the tight ends in this class, Jared Pinkney is just good enough to leave you wanting more. At 6’-4” and 257 pounds, Pinkney has the size that you want to see from the position. Despite his larger build, he’s surprisingly agile out of cuts and can make a difference in the red zone when utilized properly. Even though he doesn’t have the longest arms, he has a large catch radius and has the spatial awareness to adjust to off-target passes.
Pinkney is something of a scheme-specific player, which goes a long way in explaining his statistical decline. He’s able to find holes in zone coverage and knows how to create separation at the top of routes, but isn’t the type of guy that can be a focal point of an offense. He ran a terrible 40-yard dash, although the film suggests that he might not be quite as slow as the test implies. Regardless of what you choose to believe, there’s no denying that he can’t stretch the field and doesn’t do much after the catch. While he has the build to be a decent in-line blocker, he simply lacks the fundamentals and basic execution for the job. This could theoretically be taught, but he has a long way to do. In the short-term, he’s a scheme-specific tight end that can make a positive impact when used situationally.
Main photo:
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