Michael Mayer mosses Jets defender on SNF for first touchdown of his NFL career
The Las Vegas Raiders drafted former Notre Dame star Michael Mayer with the hopes he would be one of the most dominant tight ends in the National Football League. On Sunday night in the Raiders-Jets matchup, he didn’t disappoint. Mayer showcased his tantalizing potential with a jaw-dropping catch over Jets safety Jordan Whitehead in the end zone. In the fourth quarter, Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell tossed up a jump ball to Mayer in the side of the end zone, and he completely mossed Whitehead with one of the best plays of SNF.
It was also the first touchdown of his NFL career thus far. Check it out below.
The touchdown catch helped to put the Raiders up 16-9 early in the fourth quarter in Las Vegas.
Mayer enjoyed a prolific career with Notre Dame
The Las Vegas Raiders made their running and passing game a lot more interesting, selecting former Notre Dame star tight end Michael Mayer with the No. 35 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mayer excelled as both a pass catcher and a blocker in his last three seasons with the Fighting Irish, and will be looking to do the same for the Raiders.
Mayer was a high school product out of Covington Catholic in Kentucky, where he was ranked the No. 3 tight end in the nation and the No. 34 overall prospect in the 2020 class according to On3’s Industry Rankings. He’d go on to maintain that status as one of the nation’s best tight ends for the next three seasons, ending his storied career at Notre Dame with 180 receptions for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns.
His receptions were the most in school history at the tight end position, as he earned Consensus All-American honors last year and Third-team All-American honors the year prior. Mayer’s 6-foot-4, 250-pound frame gives him the prototypical build you’d want for an NFL tight end, as he also ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Mayer proved that he’s more than capable as a pass catcher, with reliable hands and a knack for breaking tackles on the second and third level of the defense. But he’s also an aggressive and effective option in the run-blocking game, grading out with an 82.1 run-blocking grade according to PFF in 2022.
What NFL draft analysts said about Michael Mayer
Mayer was nicknamed ‘Baby Gronk’ during his playing days at Notre Dame, but can he live up to the name at the NFL level? NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein evaluated Mayer, and may not have compared him to Rob Gronkowksi, but he does remind him of another Hall of Fame tight end, Jason Witten.
“Big combination tight end with the demeanor for run blocking and the size for tough, chain-moving catches underneath. Mayer will come into the league with better blocking technique than most tight ends in this year’s draft. He’s built for in-line duty and was an extension of the Notre Dame offensive line at times,” Zierlein said. “His feet are a little heavy getting into and through his routes, but he has the hand strength and contact balance to win heavily contested catches on the first two levels. Mayer might need to polish his route running to become a high-volume target, but he’s a safe pick and will be a good pro who can become a plus player as a run blocker and pass catcher.”
On3’s Kaiden Smith also contributed to this article.