Jace

Sternberger

Sternberger (6’4/251) went pro as a redshirt junior after transferring from Kansas to Northeast Oklahoma A&M and finally Texas A&M for his final year, where Sternberger erupted for 48/832/10 (17.3 YPR) receiving. Sternberger led all SEC tight ends in first-down catches (37) in 2018; 77.1% of his receptions moved the sticks. He aligned all over the formation at TAMU, from in-line tight end to slot, H-back, and outside receiver. Sternberger’s 4.76 forty and 7.19 three-cone time were mediocre in Indy, but his college tape reveals a sticky-handed plus route runner with a Dallas Clark-like game.

Sternberger (6'4/251) doesn’t have the athleticism of the elite tight ends, but he was very productive for the Aggies after transferring from junior college. As a junior, Sternberger scored 10 touchdowns while averaging 10.7 yards per target. An NFL tight ends coach said Sternberger is capable of catching 50 to 60 passes per year if he continues to develop, so there’s clearly interest. Expect Sternberger to hear his name called on Day 2.

“You wish he was a little bit faster but he makes up for it with his routes,” the coach tells Zierlein. “You feed him, get him stronger and you’ll have an NFL starter who gets you 50 to 60 catches a year.” Sternberger (6'4/251) is called a "[T]alented route-runner with no wasted steps” by Zierlein, and he also notes his above-average hands and vision after he makes the catch. He does have some concerns about Sternberger’s run blocking, and that he can be thrown off his timing when pressed. " His paychecks will be tied to his pass-catching so he’ll need to play stronger through route contact and with better focus when contested,” writes Zierlein. “He has eventual starter potential as a move tight-end who can function as a big WR3/4 from the slot.”

Sternberger (6'4/251) will be chatting with the Packers, Lions, Vikings, Cowboys, Texans, Seahawks, and Chiefs over the next two or three weeks. Only the Chiefs have a no-brainer starting tight end among the teams listed, so these would be nice landing spots for the 2018 breakout. Sternberger doesn’t do it with tons of athleticism, but he was a consistent threat down the seam for the Aggies (10.7 YPT with 10 touchdowns). Sternberger will likely end up as a Day 2 selection and needs to be viewed as a fringe top-five tight end for dynasty leagues.

Tight end is an obvious weakness with the Gronk retirement, and the two analysts pointed out that the Patriots have picked two tight ends early in the same draft before. After selecting Gronk with the 42nd overall pick in 2010, Bill Belichick opted to double up on their tight end weakness by grabbing Aaron Hernandez in Round 4. This season, many analysts mock a Round 1 tight end -- Irv Smith Jr. makes sense if Noah Fant doesn’t fall -- but that wouldn’t rule out another tight end like Jace Sternberger (6'4/251) in Round 2 or 3.

Sternberger (6'4/251) was a breakout player in 2018, averaging 10.7 yards per target and scoring 10 touchdowns in his first season at Texas A&M. An NFL tight ends coach recently said that the former JUCO transfer can “get you 50 to 60 catches a year” if he continues to develop physically. There are some physical limitations, but Sternberger was productive enough to warrant a Day 2 selection, just as Edholm projects.

The coach literally means feed him food, not feed him targets. “You feed him, get him stronger and you’ll have an NFL starter,” he continued. Sternberger (6'4/251) isn’t the fastest, but he was really productive in his lone season at Texas A&M, averaging 10.7 yards per target while scoring 10 touchdowns. Even if he doesn’t offer a bunch as a blocker, Sternberger offers enough as a receiver to warrant a Day 2 or early Day 3 selection.

Sternberger (6'4/251) ends up as an average athlete after posting a 31.5-inch vertical and 4.31-second cone drill, but it won’t change his draft stock as a potential pass-catching tight end that will be scooped up in Day 2. After transferring from the JUCO ranks, Sternberger lit up the Power 5 to the tune of 48-832-10 while averaging 10.7 yards per target. There are few tight ends in the class who offer as much big-play potential as Sternberger, but he has notable flaws to his game.

The Vikings need help on the offensive and defensive line, and Crabbs addresses that by having Minnesota select Kansas State OL Dalton Risner and Notre Dame DT Jerry Tillery in the two rounds before. In the third, he gives Kirk Cousins another weapon in Sternberger, and as Crabbs puts it, the heir apparent for Kyle Rudolph. “Much like the Vikings receivers, Sternberger brings an athletic element into the fray for the Vikings that their current TEs simply don’t offer,” Crabbs writes. It’s a bit of a luxury pick, but one that could pay off in the short and long-term, if it played out like this.

Sternberger did not have much (any) success in his time with Kansas, but he was exceptional after joining Texas A&M through the JUCO ranks, and put up some of the most impressive numbers at the position. Marino believes he offers “immense upside as a receiver” because of his ability as a route runner, and he can be “dominant” when attacking the seam. “The 2019 tight end class is extremely deep and talented,” Marino writes, “but Sternberger should be discussed among the top prospects at the position.”