Matt Bushman 2021 NFL Draft Profile

Overview

Bushman was born in Tucson, Arizona, where he attended Sabino High School. He led the U.S in receiving yards for a tight end with 1,583 yards and 26 touchdowns. In his full high school career, Bushman had 2,891 receiving yards with 42 touchdowns. He was a two-time All-State selection and honorable mention in both Semper Fi All-American and Parade All-American. Bushman was also an all-state baseball player. 247Sports rated Bushman a three-star prospect. Prior to attending BYU, he went on a church mission to Santiago, Chile.

In his Freshman season at BYU, Bushman completed 49 receptions 520 yards with three touchdowns. He was the leading receiver for the Cougars football and was named Freshman All-American by USA Today. The following season he had 29 receptions of 511 yards with two touchdowns, which led all BYU receivers for the second year in a row.

In his third season at BYU, Bushman completed 47 receptions 688 yards with four touchdowns. For the third consecutive season, he led BYU in receiving yards. Bushman was ranked sixth in receiving yards, tenth in receptions, and third in yards per reception among FBS tight ends. He received a 2019 Phil Steele All-Independent First-Team selection. Bushman was also a nominee for both the 2019 Mackey Award and Walter Camp award watch lists. He is 2nd among returning tight ends in career broken tackles with 15.

Bushman is one of only three BYU tight ends to three back-to-back seasons of 500 yards, with the other two being Gordon Hudson and Dennis Pitta. During his Pro Day, Bushman completed 23 reps on the 225lb bench. He also had a vertical jump of 32.5, a time of 4.53 in the 20-yard shuttle, and 7.13 in the 3-Cone Drill. Due to his Achilles injury, Bushman didn’t complete a full workout.

Strengths

Good hands as a receiver;

Has very good size;

Physical in both the run and passing game;

Can make the big plays;

Good blocker.

Weaknesses

Older prospect;

Is not dynamic in any area;

Lacks aggressiveness;

Lacks speed to separate from coverage;

Suffered an Achilles injury in college.

Projection: Fourth Round

Bottom Line on Matt Bushman

The 2020 NFL Draft was not very deep in tight end prospects. The first tight end was not selected off the board until the second round. Some scouts believe that if Matt Bushman had declared for the 2020 draft, he could’ve been a top 50 ranked tight end. Bushman decided to return to school but was sidelined in his senior year with an Achilles injury suffered during practice. The 2021 NFL Draft has a bit more depth in the tight end position, so it is very possible that Bushman may slide to a team that didn’t expect to get him. He has all the tools to become a starting tight end in the NFL, the only concerns would be the Achilles injury and if he has hit his potential already.