INDIANAPOLIS – Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq delivered a series of eye-catching feats of athleticism that included hurdling defensive players as he accelerated into the secondary.
Sadiq is an intriguing NFL draft prospect who met formally with the Texans at the NFL scouting combine.
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He is graded as a likely first-round draft pick.
Sadiq liked his interactions with the Texans, who need reinforcements at the position.
“It was good,” Sadiq said. “That was one of them, you just really get to know each other. It was a super chill meeting. The staff’s awesome. So, just getting to sit down with them, getting to know them was great.
Although veteran tight end Dalton Schultz caught a career-high 82 passes, backup Cade Stover had a disappointing season and Brevin Jordan has missed most of the past two seasons with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn patellar tendon.
The Texans also had meetings with Cincinnati tight end Joe Royer, an Ohio State transfer, Stanford tight end Sam Roush, Michigan tight end Marlin Klein, Ohio State tight end Max Klare and Georgia tight end Oscar Delp.
Sadiq is the consensus top-ranked tight end in the draft.
Sadiq is expected to crush the NFL scouting combine testing. He has been compared to Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride.
Sadiq has recorded a 41 1/2 inch vertical leap, a 365-pound power clean, a 435-pound bench press and has 10 percent body fat. He has run as fast as 23 miles per hour.
An Idaho native, Sadiq was a blue-chip recruit who chose the Ducks over Iowa State, Michigan and Washington.
He caught 51 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
“Athletic abilities, I think that’s there, and I think everyone will see that as well,” Sadiq said. “So, just starting off there and then I think mentally as well, I have a very mature mindset coming into this league. Versatility is huge, being able to create explosive pass plays, but also being able to run the ball.
“It creates a lot of mismatches on the defensive side, whether they’re nickel or base or whatever it is. So, I think if you have a great tight end or a couple great tight ends, it really helps out your offense in a whole. There’s more credit going to tight ends, and you see the market being reset by guys every year, so, I think the value has definitely gone up."
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com