Rutgers TE Tyler Kroft Taken in Third Round to Bengals

TE Tyler Kroft

Former Rutgers tight end Tyler Kroft was selected with the 85^th pick in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. After witnessing the Bengals working exclusively with Kroft at Rutgers’ Pro Day on March 11, you could tell they were interested and it was only a matter of time when they would take the redshirt junior.

Mike Mayock from NFL Network gave a pick analysis and said, “Kroft is one of the real solid guys, who as the draft process moved on gained more steam.”

Kroft ran the 40-yard dash at 4.67 at Pro Day, with a solid 34 inch vertical jump.

The 6-foot-4, 246 pounder accumulated 901 receiving yards “on the banks” on 67 catches. After a 43 catch, 573 breakout redshirt sophomore campaign, Kroft was used more as a blocker as a redshirt junior before forgoing his senior season to enter the draft. An NFL Combine invitee, Lance Zierlein at NFL.com compares the Downington, P.A. native to former Cincinnati Bearcat and current Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Kroft has the hands to catch passes with some quickness and improved blocking. Kroft was the fourth tight end selected behind Maxx Williams of Minnesota, Clive Walford of Miami (F.L.) and Michigan’s Devin Funchess. The former three-star recruit out of high school will work alongside and learn from 2013 first round selection tight end Tyler Eifert.

Walterfootball.com gives the Bengals a “B-“ grade for the former Scarlet Knight selection and said sarcastically, “Somewhere, Bill Belichick locked himself in a closet and began weeping uncontrollably, as a Rutgers player was chosen before he got to snatch him off the board. The Bengals were looking for a tight end to replace Jermaine Gresham, and Tyler Kroft figures to play well for them. I had Kroft as a fourth-rounder, but taking him in the middle of the third isn’t too much of a reach.”

Kroft joins former Scarlet Knights Mohamed Sanu, Kevin Brock, and Clark Harris on the Bengals.