As the NFL draft continues to get closer and closer, one constant we knew at the beginning of the season is holding true — South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert is this season's best NFL Draft prospect out of the FCS level, and the big pass-catcher is drawing rave reviews from NFL talent evaluators.
[divider]COMPARE: Dallas Goedert vs. any TE | South Dakota State vs. New Hampshire[divider]
As the Jacks are preparing for their FCS quarterfinal matchup with New Hampshire, the media train hasn't stopped rolling when it comes to the top NFL Draft prospects.
ESPN Radio host Ryen Russillo asked ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Thursday on The Ryen Russillo Show about some of the athletic freaks at the top of this year's draft — citing former Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald as a guy most agreed would be a great NFL player during the draft process back in 2014.
After first tossing out NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb as a player many assume will immediately be an impact player, Kiper added one more name to the list — South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert, arguably the top tight end in all of college football and the top draft prospect in the FCS.
"You think about Dallas Goedert, a tight end at South Dakota State…here's a huge kid with that Zach Ertz, Todd Heap ability, here's a kid who could get into the late first round and be one heck of a pass receiving weapon in the National Football League."
That's high praise for Goedert, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in around 250 pounds. Ertz is arguably one of the top tight ends in the game today, and Heap finished his NFL career with just shy of 6,000 receiving yards on 499 career catches, scoring 42 touchdowns in his 10-year career.
MORE GOEDERT DRAFT TALK:
ESPN's McShay: Goedert is the Top TE in the 2018 NFL Draft
Goedert Talks Unicycling and Travis Kelce Comparison on Move the Sticks Podcast
It's pretty good company for Goedert, who's putting the finishing touches on a prolific career at SDSU.
With at least one more game left, Goedert has 192 career catches for 2,926 yards and 20 touchdowns, the majority of that coming in the past two years. He'll leave SDSU as one of the Jacks' career leaders in receiving yards.
Currently, NFL Draft Scout calls Goedert the No. 2 tight end in the draft class behind only Indiana's Ian Thomas, while Kiper has him 25th on his big board (and the first TE on the list) and ESPN's Todd McShay also recently called him the No. 1 tight end in the draft.
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