HIGH SCHOOL
Eubanks attended Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage, a program pretty well known for producing college prospect. He was a 3-star, the #15 tight end, and #344 overall in the class of 2016. Michigan secured his commitment late in the process, and he was one of three tight ends in that class, joining Sean McKeon and Devin Asiasi. I gave Eubanks a TTB Rating of 44 (LINK), largely because I thought Asiasi (a 92 rating) and McKeon (77) would push him out.
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COLLEGE
Eubanks redshirted in 2016 while Jake Butt was one of the top tight ends in the country and Devin Asiasi was a heavily utilized backup. Surprisingly, Asiasi transferred to UCLA before the 2017 season. Eubanks caught 2 passes for 61 yards in the season opener against Florida and didn't touch the ball again for the rest of 2017. As a redshirt sophomore in 2018, he caught 8 passes for 157 yards and 1 touchdown while starting four games. He became a starter in 2019, making 25 catches for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns. An injury slowed him to begin 2020, and his 10 catches for 117 yards and 1 touchdown represented an anticlimactic ending to his career.
CAREER STATS
45 catches for 578 yards (12.8 yards/catch) and 6 touchdowns
AWARDS
Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2019)
SUMMARY
The gem of that 2016 tight end class was Asiasi, who just finished a so-so rookie year in the NFL with 2 catches for 39 yards and 1 touchdown. The other guys (Eubanks, McKeon) were bigger projects. Eubanks started off as a somewhat athletic tight end and downfield threat, but as he packed on weight throughout his career, he lost some of that speed. My biggest question about his athletic profile coming out of high school was his lack of focus and toughness when it came to blocking, and I think that persisted throughout his college career. Despite eventually being listed at 6'5" and 256 lbs., his blocking never really became a plus. Overall, Eubanks turned out to be just an average player at his position.
I WILL REMEMBER HIM FOR...
...not being Devin Asiasi. Much like a jilted lover, I will always compare Eubanks to Asiasi and wish that Asiasi had stayed at Michigan. Maybe I'm overstating the difference between the two, but I thought Asiasi would have been a great tight end when tied with a Jim Harbaugh offense. Unfortunately, the remaining duo of Eubanks and McKeon left something to be desired.
PROJECTION
I would not be surprised to see Eubanks go into his draft workout at a lighter weight, perhaps in the mid- to upper 240s. That should help his speed and agility. If you're not a good blocker even at 256 lbs., you might as well emphasize your athleticism. I think Eubanks could slip into the bottom of the draft, because his athletic profile is similar to that of LSU's Stephen Sullivan (6'5", 248, 4.66 forty, mediocre production), a 7th round pick of the Seahawks in 2020. I think it's more likely that Eubanks ends up as an undrafted free agent. Walter Football has Eubanks as the #16 tight end (LINK), and only 12 tight ends were taken last year.
Solid player who had a solid career. But I agree to being rather disappointed in his career arc. For me it's less about Asiasi which is a separate deal and more about the big play against Florida early in his career. That was pretty exciting debut against a high end team, but it never really moved forward from there. Obviously he got better, Eubanks saw a lot of playing time, but never emerged as an obvious difference maker like Butt.
ReplyDeleteI associate Eubanks more closely with McKeon as their careers largely overlapped at Michigan. Both were decent college players but neither guy put the whole package together to be a great TE. On an offense that emphasized 2TE sets for much of that time that counts as a disappointment.
-Lank
Florida and an RPO against indiana. Terrible at blocking
ReplyDeleteHope he works on his speed, and can latch on to a team
Someone that doesn't like contact playing in a contact sport. But he does have hands.
ReplyDelete