NFL Film Review - TE Luke Schoonmaker - Michigan - Drafted 2nd Round

[BermyStar]

TE Luke Schoonmaker - My Initial feedback after watching two games. If my thoughts change after watching more I will do an updated video.

Blocking - B - Luke is heralded as a blocking TE, and I can see why.

He lines up in various positions and is able to block effectively whether inline, on the wing or on the move from the slot or lined up at FB.

His willingness to block is his greatest asset, followed closely by his textbook technique. His stance is consistently well balanced, affording him the ability to get moving in any direction with no wasted motion. He follows through - even a little after the whistle.

His head is always on a swivel, looking for a man to block, when he is in space. With improved strength to hold up against some of the bigger competition he'll face on the next level this grade could easily bump up to an A.

Receiving - C - In Michigan's run heavy offense the TEs weren't featured a ton in the pass game.

Often on film Luke displayed characteristics that lead me to believe he could be a solid pass catcher at the next level, but not dynamic. It's been lauded that he has tested great physically, but I don't see the same on tape.

I do see his tactician like abilities (similar to his blocking traits) - he has a picture-perfect stance and releases laterally just as effortlessly as he does straight forward. He is an excellent hand fighter (seems to favor a slap and chop combo) at the 1st and 2nd level releases.

He gets into the stem of his route almost immediately and accelerates quickly, forcing defenders to respect the 3 way go - his ability to attack inside, outside or up the seam.

His breaks are fluid and quick and he gets his eyes to the QB in timely fashion. He does appear to drift as he gets deeper into his routes - not sure if there is a lack of technique or a mental lapse due to so few targets, but I am certain he can rectify it at the next level.

Those athletic scores don't show up once he's caught the ball as evidenced on most plays by minimal YAC (if any).

Conclusion - I can't speak to his value relative to his draft position until I've reviewed others in his class, but I can speak to his ability relative to the current TEs on Dallas' roster. He is better than Ferguson was coming out and he has more athletic traits then Ferguson has - by a mile. His pristine technique leads me to believe he is coachable. If so, I bet Lunda Wells turns him in to a reliable TE1 in Dallas by year 2.

 

[8FOR!3]

It makes me wonder if we think that athleticism might show up more if the game slows down for him.

 

[BermyStar]

It makes me wonder if we think that athleticism might show up more if the game slows down for him.

It's a fair question. I think the lack of use of TEs I'm the system, and the fact he was a QB in high school, might even show there is huge potential for growth despite him being 25. So he is a high floor, high ceiling type... pretty safe pick no doubt.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

TE Luke Schoonmaker - My Initial feedback after watching two games. If my thoughts change after watching more I will do an updated video.

Blocking - B - Luke is heralded as a blocking TE, and I can see why.

He lines up in various positions and is able to block effectively whether inline, on the wing or on the move from the slot or lined up at FB.

His willingness to block is his greatest asset, followed closely by his textbook technique. His stance is consistently well balanced, affording him the ability to get moving in any direction with no wasted motion. He follows through - even a little after the whistle.

His head is always on a swivel, looking for a man to block, when he is in space. With improved strength to hold up against some of the bigger competition he'll face on the next level this grade could easily bump up to an A.

Receiving - C - In Michigan's run heavy offense the TEs weren't featured a ton in the pass game.

Often on film Luke displayed characteristics that lead me to believe he could be a solid pass catcher at the next level, but not dynamic. It's been lauded that he has tested great physically, but I don't see the same on tape.

I do see his tactician like abilities (similar to his blocking traits) - he has a picture-perfect stance and releases laterally just as effortlessly as he does straight forward. He is an excellent hand fighter (seems to favor a slap and chop combo) at the 1st and 2nd level releases.

He gets into the stem of his route almost immediately and accelerates quickly, forcing defenders to respect the 3 way go - his ability to attack inside, outside or up the seam.

His breaks are fluid and quick and he gets his eyes to the QB in timely fashion. He does appear to drift as he gets deeper into his routes - not sure if there is a lack of technique or a mental lapse due to so few targets, but I am certain he can rectify it at the next level.

Those athletic scores don't show up once he's caught the ball as evidenced on most plays by minimal YAC (if any).

Conclusion - I can't speak to his value relative to his draft position until I've reviewed others in his class, but I can speak to his ability relative to the current TEs on Dallas' roster. He is better than Ferguson was coming out and he has more athletic traits then Ferguson has - by a mile. His pristine technique leads me to believe he is coachable. If so, I bet Lunda Wells turns him in to a reliable TE1 in Dallas by year 2.

Share the same thoughts regarding his athleticism. His legs stop on contact and he lacks any sort of elusiveness. He’s generally always brought down by the initial tackler. I think he does have some potential on timing routes (slants, crossers, etc.) where he can run himself clear after the catch for some YAC. Otherwise, anyone thinking he’s going to create yardage either going around or through defenders will be disappointed.

I also think folks are severely sleeping on Ferguson. He’s not the same athlete as Schooney but he’s better/tougher to bring down after the catch.

Folks like to bring up Michigan’s offense and QB play, but it pales in comparison to the scheme Fergy played in at Wisconsin and the level of talent he was paired with at QB. It makes Schooney look like he was playing with Payton Manning at Tennessee.

 

[xwalker]

Share the same thoughts regarding his athleticism. His legs stop on contact and he lacks any sort of elusiveness. He’s generally always brought down by the initial tackler. I think he does have some potential on timing routes (slants, crossers, etc.) where he can run himself clear after the catch for some YAC. Otherwise, anyone thinking he’s going to create yardage either going around or through defenders will be disappointed.

I also think folks are severely sleeping on Ferguson. He’s not the same athlete as Schooney but he’s better/tougher to bring down after the catch.

Folks like to bring up Michigan’s offense and QB play, but it pales in comparison to the scheme Fergy played in at Wisconsin and the level of talent he was paired with at QB. It makes Schooney look like he was playing with Payton Manning at Tennessee.

 

[BermyStar]

Share the same thoughts regarding his athleticism. His legs stop on contact and he lacks any sort of elusiveness. He’s generally always brought down by the initial tackler. I think he does have some potential on timing routes (slants, crossers, etc.) where he can run himself clear after the catch for some YAC. Otherwise, anyone thinking he’s going to create yardage either going around or through defenders will be disappointed.

I also think folks are severely sleeping on Ferguson. He’s not the same athlete as Schooney but he’s better/tougher to bring down after the catch.

Folks like to bring up Michigan’s offense and QB play, but it pales in comparison to the scheme Fergy played in at Wisconsin and the level of talent he was paired with at QB. It makes Schooney look like he was playing with Payton Manning at Tennessee.

Excellent points. And yes those BIG10 schools are fun (imo) to watch given their propensity for old school run heavy offenses, but it makes TEs a bit of a crap shoot to project. I am a big fan of Ferguson myself, and am on record saying as much here. Either way it shakes out I do believe we'll have 2 above average to very good TEs before too long.

 

[BermyStar]

WHAT!?!?! Lol...how have I never seen this before now...sending this to my brother right now lol

 

[xwalker]

WHAT!?!?! Lol...how have I never seen this before now...sending this to my brother right now lol

Part 2...Enjoy.

 

[BermyStar]

Part 2...Enjoy.

My life is complete lmao....bout to sub to that YT channel. Would make a great quick watch during the doldrums of midweek work life lol

 

[Spottswoode]

I don’t see all these athleticism concerns.

They used him a lot on flat and underneath routes so the defender is usually coming downhill. To expect a lot of separation on these routes is unrealistic. IMO, it is even more exaggerated when his QB seems to have piss poor delivery timing. To me, there seemed to be a lot of RAC yards wasted because throws were late and he either was run into coverage or the defender had time to recover.

He seems to be good at finding soft spots which is how he was often used in their passing game. He does have some wasted steps on his release at times but that is nothing that can’t be cleaned up. I didn’t notice it as much in this tape but did notice it on a few others.

IMO, his athleticism isn’t going to pop on tape with the way he was used. On the flat routes where he is looking backwards for the pass, he is not going to look as fluid or sudden…he’s not a small guy. On the few occasions where he released down the field, I thought he looked very smooth. You can definitely see the athleticism in his run blocking.

I have seen a few tapes where you might nitpick some deficiencies but this tape wasn’t one of them for me.

 

[shabazz]

By far the most entertaining video shown on here other than ”Fat Zeke” workout video.

 

[conner01]

It makes me wonder if we think that athleticism might show up more if the game slows down for him.

That’s possible
But even in college if you watch him he has a really good feel for zone coverage
He finds the open spot and sits down really well. In man he needs to learn to use his size to block out defenders but in zone he’s pretty good

 

[BermyStar]

I don’t see all these athleticism concerns.

They used him a lot on flat and underneath routes so the defender is usually coming downhill. To expect a lot of separation on these routes is unrealistic. IMO, it is even more exaggerated when his QB seems to have piss poor delivery timing. To me, there seemed to be a lot of RAC yards wasted because throws were late and he either was run into coverage or the defender had time to recover.

He seems to be good at finding soft spots which is how he was often used in their passing game. He does have some wasted steps on his release at times but that is nothing that can’t be cleaned up. I didn’t notice it as much in this tape but did notice it on a few others.

IMO, his athleticism isn’t going to pop on tape with the way he was used. On the flat routes where he is looking backwards for the pass, he is not going to look as fluid or sudden…he’s not a small guy. On the few occasions where he released down the field, I thought he looked very smooth. You can definitely see the athleticism in his run blocking.

I have seen a few tapes where you might nitpick some deficiencies but this tape wasn’t one of them for me.

Thanks for watching man, and great feedback! Spot on regarding the QB on some of those throws; he certainly could've led receivers (in general) better with more crisp timing. I hope you're right in terms of his YAC ability. That is what really makes the draft so interesting and so risky...projection. Watching tape and grading it is work but it's what you see - trying to determine what it means in a different scheme against different competition, man that's a whirlwind. I think we got us a good one though.

 

[BermyStar]

That’s possible
But even in college if you watch him he has a really good feel for zone coverage
He finds the open spot and sits down really well. In man he needs to learn to use his size to block out defenders but in zone he’s pretty good

His ability to find space in zone reminded me of Witt and I don't really like player comps. But man, he gets it.

 

[Spottswoode]

Thanks for watching man, and great feedback! Spot on regarding the QB on some of those throws; he certainly could've led receivers (in general) better with more crisp timing. I hope you're right in terms of his YAC ability. That is what really makes the draft so interesting and so risky...projection. Watching tape and grading it is work but it's what you see - trying to determine what it means in a different scheme against different competition, man that's a whirlwind. I think we got us a good one though.

I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t realize you did the video…you did a great job.

I don’t know how he will turn out as a pro but I am cautiously optimistic. This may rub some posters wrong but I like the way he moves better than Mayer.

 

[erod]

He's a better blocking version of Dalton Schultz for cheap. Pick made perfect sense.

 

[baltcowboy]

He's a better blocking version of Dalton Schultz for cheap. Pick made perfect sense.

Schoonmaker barring injury is a guaranteed solid pro. What more can you ask for in a second round pick.

 

[conner01]

His ability to find space in zone reminded me of Witt and I don't really like player comps. But man, he gets it.

If he can learn to use his body to shield off defenders like Witten he could good. He’s also faster than Witten lol