Chicago Bears: Sleeper NFL Draft prospects at tight end
By Ryan Heckman
Zach Gentry, Michigan
If you’re like me, you watch a lot of Big Ten sports. Being from the midwest, you can’t help but get caught up in it. One of the guys who is considered a mid-to-late round prospect, yet has a lot to like, is Zach Gentry out of Michigan.
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One thing the Bears liked about Dion Sims is his ability as a blocker, and that’s exactly what you could get out of Gentry — only a lot cheaper. Gentry knows how to get to his placement on most blocks and isn’t afraid to square up and stick them.
While Gentry isn’t the fastest, he’s smooth with his route running. He knows how to get open and has quicker footwork in order to keep linebackers guessing.
At 6-foot-8, he jumps off the screen when watching him play. It’s tough not to fall in love with size, when it comes to the tight end position, and Gentry certainly has that. Maybe I am just drawn to the frame he possesses, but he’s intriguing at the very least.
He isn’t the best pass-catching tight end, which makes it tougher to spend a draft pick on him. But, if he’s there in the later sixth or seventh by chance, he’d be worth the gamble.