On Tuesday, Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports reported that former Iowa Hawkeyes (and Michigan Wolverines) tight end Erick All had a formal interview with the Kansas City Chiefs at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. While an injury kept him out of several of the Combine’s activities, he would be an intriguing pick for Kansas City in April’s NFL draft.
Let’s look at what everyone can contribute to the table.
Background
Coming out of Ohio’s Fairfield High School, All was a four-star tight end recruit. He had offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Boston College, and Bowling Green before committing to Michigan.
During his first two seasons, he totaled only 92 yards. But in his third year, he had 38 catches for 437 yards and two touchdowns, the most of which came in the final six games, when he had 22 catches for 280 yards and two touchdowns with the Wolverines’ limited passing system. There was anticipation that in his final year, All may reach his greatest potential.
Unfortunately, he had a serious injury that ended his senior season. We don’t know the specifics, but All described it as “life-changing surgery.” According to the Detroit Free Press, the operation was performed to address back concerns from the previous season.
By 2023, All had opted to join his friend (and former Michigan quarterback) Cade McNamara at Iowa, thinking that his chemistry with McNamara (and Iowa’s history of generating NFL tight ends) would boost his draft stock.
As the new year began, everyone appeared to be as healthy and productive as usual. After tight end Luke Lachey fractured his ankle in Week 3, All became Iowa’s sole receiving threat. (Trust me, I’m an Iowa fan). Over the next four games, All recorded 14 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns. In Iowa’s offense, such figures would be comparable to Jerry Rice in his prime. (All actually finished the season as Iowa’s receiving yards leader!)
This is even more impressive given that All tore his ACL in the first quarter of the season’s seventh game. While Lachey was eligible to return to the Hawkeyes, he would also return to lead a talented group of young tight ends. At 23, it made sense for All to join the NFL draft.
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