During the next few weeks, we’re going to go through Oregon’s roster, position by position, examining what talent was lost to graduation or the NFL and what that leaves the Ducks with in 2014.
We close out the first week with tight ends.
Who was lost after the 2013 season: Colt Lyerla
Lost production: 2 catches, 26 yards
Who’s back in 2014: sophomore Johnny Mundt, junior Pharaoh Brown, redshirt sophomore Evan Baylis, redshirt junior Koa Ka'ai, redshirt freshman Davaysia Hagger, incoming freshman Henry Mondeaux
Statistics of returning players: 30 catches, 475 yards, 5 touchdowns
Outlook: The Oregon tight ends are in a very good spot right now, only losing one contributor from a season ago. The top three tight ends from last season return, and despite Brown not playing in the spring game, quite a bit can be expected out of the Mundt-Brown-Baylis trio this fall.
In the spring game, the tight ends caught five passes for 34 yards, but look for them to become even more involved this season. With the wide receiver corps on the younger side, the Ducks may look to distribute the ball a bit more, and who better than to three tight ends who all contributed last year?
In addition to catching passes, these guys can also be expected to be better blockers. With another year in the playbook, they’ll be smarter, but some others might also take the lead of Mundt, who packed on 20 pounds during the offseason, and get their bodies to a point that allows them to be more physical at the point of attack.
All in all, this is a group that should do well this season. Over the next two years, look for the tight ends to really become a more integral part of the Ducks offense as this core group gets more experienced.
Other spring position reviews: