Tony Poljan 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Tight End
Height: 6′-6″
Weight: 251 lbs
School: University of Virginia
Tony Poljan 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Born in Lansing, Michigan, Poljan attended Lansing Catholic School. He played basketball and was the quarterback for the football team where he completed 390 passes for 6,090 yards with 58 touchdowns. Additionally, Poljan had 500 carries for 3,118 yards. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015 and was listed on the ESPN 300 list as a senior. The Detroit Free Press listed Poljan as the #17 recruit in Michigan and the Lansing State Journal ranked him #20 on their Catch-22 list. Additionally, he was named to the Detroit News Division five All-State first-team, Detroit Free Press Division five all-starter first team, and the Associated Press Division five-six All-State first-team. The Lansing State Journal named Poljan the 2015 player of the year. He selected and graduated from Central Michigan before transferring to the University of Virginia.
Poljan began his career at Michigan as a quarterback before switching to the tight-end position during his second year. In his first year in 2017, Poljan completed five receptions of 97 yards and had 27 carries of 125 yards with one touchdown. Poljan also completed 61.9% of passes for 78 yards. In 2018, he had seven receptions of 125 yards with two touchdowns and 64 carries of 123 yards with one touchdown. Additionally, Poljan completed 51.7% of passes for 625 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. As a full-time tight-end in 2019, he completed 33 receptions of 496 yards with four touchdowns. He was named to the second-team All-MAC.
At Virginia, Poljan had 38 receptions of 411 yards with six touchdowns. His 38 receptions ranked him seventh on UVA’s tight-end single-season list, his six touchdowns tied for second, and his 411 yards tied for seventh. Poljan received a 2021 Senior Bowl invite and was selected to the Phil Steele All-ACC team. He is the school’s eighth all-time tight-end for receiving touchdowns.
In his pro day, Poljan completed the 40-yard dash in 4.89, the 20-yard dash in 2.91, and the 10-yard dash in 1.72. He completed 23 reps on the 225 lb bench press, had a vertical jump of 33.5, and a broad jump 0f 9’05. Finally, Poljan had a 4’50 on the 20-yard shuttle and a 7.34 on the 3-Cone Drill.
Strengths
- Has size that will give defenders trouble;
- Is a decent blocker;
- Competitive and always gives full effort;
- Can make the big plays when needed;
- Made the transition from quarterback to tight-end with little trouble.
Weaknesses
- Lacks athleticism, explosiveness, and speed;
- Needs work as a receiver as he is inconsistent with catches;
- Is not great at route selection and can be funneled easily by opposing defenders;
- Ball security is inconsistent;
- Stiff movement and takes too much time processing plays.
Teams With Need At Position: Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers
Projection: Seventh Round
Bottom Line on Tony Poljan
Poljan is a large tight-end whose size is appealing when viewing him as a blocker or using him conservatively as a running option. However, his footwork, ability to read plays, and ball security need quite a bit of work. Poljan projects as a project that could have an upside if all the tools are put together. A team will need to take time to develop and bring him along slowly.
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Main photo:
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