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2017 NFL Draft Daily Chicago Bears Target: Michigan Tight End Jake Butt

By Luis Felipe Saccini

Nov 5, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines tight end Jake Butt (88) rushes in the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines tight end Jake Butt (88) rushes in the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Another day goes by and the 2017 NFL Draft is just around the corner. We look again to another player that could be a member of the Chicago Bears by the end of the month, tight end Jake Butt.

Nine days. Yes, that is right, nine days until the 2017 NFL Draft starts. With the window closing, we continue to look at possible targets for the Chicago Bears. Today, we look at another athletic tight end that could help solidify the Bears’ new offense that probably will have Mike Glennon at the helm. Up next, Jake Butt from Michigan.

Butt may have the best surname in all of sports. Our inner child can think a thousand jokes, but nobody will make jokes about his talent. He is a big man with good NFL size, listed as a 6-foot-5, 246 pounds. Butt was the second best tight end on most draft boards until he went down with a torn ACL in his last game in his college career.

Butt is a reliable weapon in the passing game. In four years as a Michigan Wolverine, he has scored 11 touchdowns and caught 138 passes for 1,646 yards. Butt is not an elite blocking tight end, but he has shown the ability to at least be adequate in that department. He is a true inline tight end option at the next level who can be a matchup nightmare.

In college, he often got open with great route running and good speed, but he also has secured hands that could turn him a safe blanket to Glennon going forward. Unfortunately for Butt, his injury prevents to participate in this draft season workouts and this may hit his stock hard on draft day.

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Although he was someday projected to be a late 1st or early 2nd, now he is often mocked as an early day 3 prospect with some chance to hear his name called at the end of the second day. The reports are that he is ahead of schedule in his recovery, so he may have some chance to play in this season.

For the Bears, pairing Butt with Zach Miller and Dion Sims could mean to have a reliable group at the tight end position. It may not be the best group but by no means a bad one. Jake Butt is a talented player who the Bears need to consider.

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