Luke Schoonmaker 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Michigan TE
Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan
6’5”, 250 pounds; RS JR
A top-1,000 overall recruit in 2018, Schoonmaker barely saw action early in his career, before establishing himself as TE2 in 2021 and then doubling his previous numbers last season with 35 catches for 418 yards, along with three touchdowns. That earned him an honorable mention All-Big Ten notice for the second straight year.
+ Plays with a natural sink in his hips and bend in his knees to be a legit asset as an in-line blocker
+ Is sound with his hand-placement and how he rolls his hips through contact in that regard – if he’s able to create that initial momentum or edge defenders try to get him, his continued leg drive allows him to widen guys off their landmarks
+ Most importantly, he keeps his weight centered and doesn’t end up on the turf very often whilst shielding defenders, with that balance to re-gain leverage after getting stood up off the snap
+ Very comfortable executing insert blocks from offset alignments and lead-blocks when put in the backfield, where he typically is able to get his hands underneath the chest of linebackers
+ Consistently digs his shoulder into the near-half of backside edge defenders on shift blockers and is able to eliminate them from the play
+ Effectively aligns his base and stays wide with his feet to pin linebackers inside when runs are designed to get out to the perimeter
+ Does a good job of breaking down the space and landing his hands inside the frame of linebackers and safeties in the run game, from detached alignments
+ I was very impressed with Schoonmaker’s ability to be able to initiate clean contact with defenders in space, even after a long run-way, at times circling back around on reverses
+ Drops his hips and gets out of break very naturally/effortlessly for a guy his height
+ Shows the ability to force coverage of players with outside leverage to tilt their hips inside with a slight nod that way and be able to win on out routes
+ And he understands when to straighten out for a split-second after his release off the line, so safeties can’t drive down on him working across the field
+ Can add a little wiggle or head-fake at the top of his routes to make off-defenders freeze their feet
+ Sudden to make that 90-degree cut and simultaneously swiping away from off-coverage defenders trying to initiate contact to create that window for uncontested catches if the ball comes out on time in the quick game
+ Very fluid in his movement, stemming routes and avoiding contact by ancillary zone defenders, understanding how be elusive and also sneaky with the way he releases off play-action
+ Has the quick burst and gets his head around immediately as he releases off chips and play-action, for easy yardage against pressure
+ Understands how to pace and sit down his routes accordingly going against zone coverage
+ Showcases some really strong hands and focus in traffic, to not be affected as defenders swipe at the ball
+ Only dropped two of 37 catchable targets last season
+ Snaps his head around and brings the ball in his body instantly, to make himself very effective on hook and stick routes
+ Bends off either foot and transitions up the field seamlessly after the grab, making sure he consistently gains positive yardage
+ Has some pretty impressive bursts once the ball touches his hands and recognizes when to cut inside of guys flying up from depth on him
– Powerful edge defenders can overwhelm him at the point of attack at times – That’s why Michigan let Erick All typically play the Y-role in 12 personnel sets
– While he does approach rushers accordingly, I don’t see the grip strength and anchor strength to sustain blocks as a pass-protector at a high level, with guys slipping off him a second or two in frequently
– Saw very little vertical usage or balls thrown up to him through contact, with just two catches of 20+ yards and in contested situations each last season (on seven contested attempts)
– Doesn’t offer much after the catch, in terms of dynamic cuts or powerful running through contact – just one missed tackle forced on his 35 catches last season
If you’re looking for a safe option at the tight-end position in the middle rounds, Schoonmaker is somebody I’d very much like to target. He’s already well-coached as an in-line blocker, is loose in the hips to run just about any route you ask of him, and doesn’t waste any time gaining additional yardage. He doesn’t give you a ton in the vertical game and he’s not a make-you-miss type of player after the catch.
However, I think there is untapped potential with this young man, which is a common theme for skill-position players at Michigan, where so much of his usage was built off the run game and he wasn’t allowed to show his skills as a route-runner in isolated situations. With his bursts off the line from either two or three-point stances, I believe he’ll benefit from being able to work a more extensive route tree. One hold up here for some teams is that he will already turn 25 years old less than a month into the upcoming NFL season.
Grade: Early third round
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